2‑4

2 Telecommunication Radio Broadcast

Services/Systems Provided over the Games
Data Network［Ⅰ］: Functional‑Area Networks
and Wi‑Fi for the Games Stakeholders
MUTO Kenji

SAITO Wataru

This article describes an overview of the Games management systems that the Functional Areas of the Organising
Committee used over the Games Data Network It also describes some of the difficulties preparing and operating such
event the Organising Committee faced in terms of systems and services other than communication service
Keywords：FA system/network Communication service Wi‑Fi connection service

1．Logical Separation of Services and Networks

the CPN there were many other systems/services
directly related to the operation of the Games : forAs already mentioned in another chapter the Games

example the system for press agencies distributing theData Network was divided into three categories : theresults of these events and moments of events such as

network for the system for distributing competition

the opening and closing ceremonies the system toresults (CPN) the network for back‑office operation

manage athlete medical information the system forused by the Organising Committee (BON) and otherpower monitoring the ticket sales and management

networks (OTN) The systems and services used bysystem the CATV service transmitting competition

each functional area (FA) were mainly provided by theimages to the related staff members in real time and thelast network OTN This article describes those systems

Internet service for stakeholders authenticated by theand services provided by OTN

accreditation cards for accessing the venues

The total number of information devices connected

These systems required network to have not only highsimultaneously to the Games Data Network throughreliability but also adequate bandwidth stability accessthese Functional Area (FA) systems and services were

controls

120 000 devices during the Olympic Games and 64 000

cyberattacks Furthermore in some cases FA required

devices during the Paralympic Games (Figure 1)

flexibly responding to changes occurred in theseand security measures to prevent from

In addition to the systems for athlete information

requirements It was not practical to build separate

competition records and judgment results handled by

networks to meet these requirements individuallyespecially from a cost point of view Therefore theGames Data Network for the Olympic and Paralympic

MUTO KenjiBusiness Innovation Headquarters Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East
Corporation
E‑mail kenji muto@east ntt co jp
SAITO Wataru
Technology Services Bureau The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic
and Paralympic Games

Games Tokyo 2020 (hereinafter referred to as “Tokyo

The Journal of The Institute of Electronics Information and Communication Engineers Vol 105 No 8 Supplement pp 38‑44 August 2022

ing multiple independent routing tables on the same© 2022 The Institute of Electronics Information and Communication Engineers

38

2020 Games”) was constructed using VRF function in the
network devices (routers and L3 switches) a functionthat logically separated multiple networks by maintainphysical devices This allowed to superimpose virtual

THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERS

Figure 1

Number of Terminals Connected to the Games Data Network

networks with different requirements from each sys-

the Venue Security Coordination Centre (VSCC) andtem onto the Games Data Network while keeping

250 installed at related organizations)(Figure 2)

equipment and telecom service costs low

Because of the scale of the network as well as the close

The major networks and services superimposed onrelationship between the operational requirements andthe Games Data Network for the Tokyo 2020 Games are

the system a task team was established at a very earlyshown in Table 1

stage of planning with members from the Security
Bureau Panasonic System Solutions Japan (PSSJ) the

2．Major Networks Provided to FA Systems
etcTechnology Bureau and NTT East so that the team
could closely coordinate the requirements and design ofthe network in details

This section describes the major virtual networks

Three main design issues described below were

provided to the FAs and other organizationʼs systems

discussed in the task team First issue was selection of

Hereinafter referred to as FA networks

multicast methods for sending images There were two
types of multicast methods : Any‑Source Multicast

21

Security Network(ASM) which did not require source information to be

The security network (hereinafter referred to asrecognized and Static‑Source Multicast (SSM) which

CCTV network/Closed Camera TV) is mainly arecognized source information and assigned addresses

network for security information systems such as

statically The ASM method was employed for Tokyo

surveillance cameras

security

2020 Games because of cost and burden required on the

network was designed and constructed separately fromsystem Second issue was the network configuration In

the Games Data Network but for Tokyo 2020 Gamesnormal operations the VSCC at each venue monitored

the Organising Committee decided to construct over thethe corresponding venue so video images were neces-Games Data Network for cost and efficiency reasonssary to first collect and send to the VSCC However

In the past GamesThe security network was a network that connected

since GSCC took command and function as a backup in

and transmitted images from surveillance cameras fromemergency situations the video images also needed

43 competition venues as well as from 53 non‑competi-

simultaneously distributed to GSCC from each venue astion venues including the Main Press Centre (MPC)/

well

International Broadcast Centre (IBC) athletesʼ village

network was designed with a star configuration placing

bus and fleet depots

GSCC at the top and connecting to each venueetc

to the Games Security

Coordination Centre (GSCC) serving as the Games
security command center

The network eventually

To achieve this requirement efficiently

theThe third issue was the bandwidth design of WideArea Network

WAN

which needed to consider

accommodated approximately 8 000 surveillance cam-instantaneous burst characteristics of the cameras to beeras including existing legacy cameras as well as 4 000

installed The WAN bandwidth was then designed based

sensors 28 public road cameras and 1 500 PCs foron the number of screens simultaneously need tomonitoring (approximately 150 at the GSCC and 1 100 atmonitor at GSCC In addition the selection and design ofSpecial Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 202039

Table 1Type

OIN

Service System
Competition System(CPN)
Operation and business system (BON)

Major Services and Systems Superimposed on the Games Data Network

VRF name andconfiguration

Overview
Network used to send competition data and results to overseas data centres etc

OIN
Business network used by the organising committee staff

FA network (Note : FA stands for “Functional Area” Each department within the organising committee that performs eachfunctional area necessary for the operation of the GamesOTN

A network service surveillance camera and recording devices are connected Images
from the surveillance cameras are send with multicast to the GSCC monitoring centre
and the venue

Security network

CCTV

Internet accessnetwork for FA

FA‑INTERNET A network for connecting systems and terminals used by FAs to the Internet

For payment
terminals Internet

FA‑VISA

Payment network used by various businesses

VPN for MED‑FA

FA‑MED

VPN for medical systems (electronic medical records radiology pharmacy and clinicaldata systems)

FA‑NRG‑UPS

VPN for UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) monitoring system

VPN for NRG‑FA

FA‑NRG‑EMS

VPN for EMS (Energy Management System)

FA‑NRG‑IBC

VPN network service for monitoring power control systems installed in IBCs

VPN for LAN‑FA

FA‑LANVPN used by the system that remotely (from MPC) translates athlete interviews andpress conferences held at each venue

VPN for SPP‑FA

FA‑SPP

VPN connected by sports presentation systems (systems that record and distributedigest images of competitions)

VPN for TEC‑FA

FA‑TEC

VPN connected to the temperature monitoring system at the VDC (Venue Data Centre :a data centre within the venue where systems that handle competition data are
installed)

Network for OMEGAOMEGAVPN service for OMEGA to connect to the Internet at the venue

Network for IOC staff

IOC‑LAN

Network used by the IOC for IOC offices in the Olympic Family Hotel

Telecommunication services
For Games officials
INTERNETInternet

Internet service used by Games officials at competition venues related facilities and on
buses Multiple services are provided by changing SSIDs and authentication methods
depending on the location and users (athletes volunteers stakeholders etc )VPN for the press(Press Plus)

VPN service for major news agencies (10 companies) to connect between MPC and
Venues Logically separate networks by VRF setting to each agency (Other than the 10
major agencies they used the Internet for stakeholders )By 10 News
Agencies

Inter‑Venue CATV CATVA service that multicasts competition videos from each venue aggregated at the IBC toother venues Commercial channels are also distributed to some venues

In‑Venue CATV

CATV‑MGMT

A service that distributes competition video in real‑time basis within the venue where
the competition is held

Fixed‑line/FMC

TEL

IP fixed‑line telephone service Extension integrated with commercial extension cell
phone service

Video conferencing
systemGLOBAL‑IP

For GLOBAL‑
IP Internet
VLAN Access(VPN between/
within a Venue)

A network service for connecting videoconferencing systems for conference Global IP is
paid out to the conference terminal and videoconferencing system is connected over theInternet
Internet service that allows direct connection to the Internet with a global IP without
network address translation at the Internet Gateway─※

VPN service to connect between Venues (L3VPN/L2VPN) upon request of the Games
stakeholders VPN service to connect terminals within a Venue upon request of Games
officials※ Logically separate the networks by setting VRF each time an L3VPN application is received

the equipment installed in the Venue was made to
sufficiently handle the traffic flow feeds to the video

same time
Moreoverthe network also accommodated othermonitoring terminals (multiple 8‑split screens) andtraffic form that of the surveillance camera images such

feeds to the recording devices (single screen) at theas traffic from the security guard management system

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THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERS

Figure 2

Overview of Security (CCTV) Networkthat managed incidents and reported from security

Network other from CCTV The other FA networks

guards at the venue via wearable devices and traffic

were required to operate various systems such as MED‑

from the system that obtained SNS analysis information

FA the medical department that handled the electronic

by connecting to hosting servers on the Internet

medical records of athletes and NRG‑FA which moni-

Since many of the security cameras were installed
outdoors due to their characteristics a verification test

tored the electric power used for lighting and equipment
at the venues

was conducted for one month in August 2020 after the

The preparation of CCTV was started early by the

postponement of the Games was announced The test

SEC‑FA (Security Bureau) and the task team had been

was to confirm that the components such as the PoE‑SW

established in 2018 to clarify requirement However

and its power supply network equipment that con-planning of systems and network requirements i enected to the cameras were installed in the small box

functions and number of equipment connected to theand was able to operate properly even under the

network used by many other FAs delayed because it

scorching sun in the summer

only covered certain part of the Games operation where
less priority or overall operation had not been fixed

22

Other FA Networks

There was a concern that since these systems of FA

This section outlines the “FA networks” used in Tokyo

were considered critical for the Games operation it was2020 Games operation superimposed on the Games Dataobvious that various requests would be concentrated atSpecial Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 202041

the last minutes Therefore the network team decided

installation

to launch a working group in May 2019 to gather

announced Some of the requirements were changed

the postponement of the Games was

requirements beforehand from the FAs Even so it tookafter the postponement such as the change of medical

about six months to complete all the hearings on systemsystem requirements by coronavirus disease (COVID‑

requirements and if the Games was held as scheduled

19) countermeasures Table 2 summarizes the networks

less than six months remained to design configure andprovided to FAs and their systems

implement physical network based on those requirements
Since physically constructing networks for each FA
system was time‑consuming and costly the Organising

3．Wi‑Fi Connection Services for Stakeholders
31

Stakeholders

Committee decided to logically superimpose those
networks over the Games Data Network as much as

Overview of Wi‑Fi Connections Provided for

The communication services

other than the FA

possible On top of this the requirements of each FA

network that TEC provided over the OTN will be

were considered individually The network was divided

described in detail later

into two types : “Internet access network for FA” which

provides overview of Wi‑Fi connections provided forcan be shared by multiple FAs and “VPN dedicated to

stakeholders(each) FA” which were customized for each system(CCTV is one of this type)
The “Internet access network for FA” is a virtual

howeverin this section

Rather than being an independent service Wi‑Fi
connectivity was defined as a function that allowed
devices to connect to various systems and the Internet

network that is suitable for connecting to specific Server

Due to this concept Tokyo 2020 Games as a result

or Cloud service through the Internet This network isprovided 14 different SSID Wi‑Fi connections according

further divided into two types : a type user needs to log‑

to the difference of requirements and the end user

in or a type that the network can be used by justgroupsconnecting devices

One of the main reasons to place different name SSID

On the other hand the medical system and the power

was to simplify the process of trouble shooting whenmonitoring system must avoid any information leakage

issue occurred For SSIDs that were used by generaland unauthorized access and network needed to be

stakeholders not Organising Committee staff members

separated from other FAs in the Organising Committee

the Organising Committee used Japanese names that

Therefore

the requirement for “VPN dedicated towere globally well known such as “Sakura2020” and(each) FA” was not be connected to the Internet and“Kabuki2020” to SSIDs to make it easier to search as wellconstructed in a closed network (VLAN) throughas feel “Japan” to athletes and stakeholders fromseparate VPN The network that met the requirements

overseasof each FA was made using closed L3‑VPN as a basis
and superimposed them on the OTN
In the process of designing and preparing for the

Table 3 lists the SSID names for Wi‑Fi connectivity
provided by each service superimposed on the Games
Data Network
In addition Table 4 shows the statistics of unique

Table 2

Two Types of Internet Connections and FA/Systems
Used

connections (per day) to the Games Data Network via
Wi‑Fi services The actual usage differs slightly due toInternet connection for FA system (FAs using the system andtheir system outline)

the different users

TKT‑FA

Ticket System

period (July)FNB‑FA

Ordering System/Employee Attendance Management System

LIC‑FAPOS terminal of official stores

SPT‑FA

Weather Information Centre (WIC)

but the maximum number ofconnections can be seen in the first half of the Olympic
It should also be noted that Wi‑Fi connectivity itself isa technology that has been around for a long time
Because of this reason even the systems that preferred

TEC‑FA

Radio Monitoring System

to use wired connectivity in the past Games are

RES‑FA

Info System (Match Result Information System)changing Wi‑Fi is started to be used as a default or as

Internet connection for payment terminal (FA to be used)

an additional function

FIN‑FA， LIC‑FA， MPS‑FA， PRC‑FA， PRS‑FA， TKT‑
FA，SPT/INS‑FA，VIL‑FA，FNB‑FA

function is coming larger

42

and the importance of thisTHE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERS

Table 3Type
OIN

Wi‑Fi Accommodated by the Games Data Network

Service System
Games Operation andBusiness System (BON)

Internet for convention
officials
OTN

SSID Name

Users etc

TOKYO2020‑TLS

For Organising Committee staff PCs

Kimono2020

For Organising Committee staff smartphone

Omotenashi2020

For guests at the Organising Committeeʼs headquarters

Sakura2020

For accreditation holders(athletes and officials stakeholders)Onigiri2020

For volunteers

Sushi2020

For Guests

Wasabi2020

For Bus Depot

Katana2020

For Athletesʼ Village Residence Building

T2020̲Official̲Hospitality For VIP SpectatorsOBS

For OBSOBS Plus

For OBS (with terminal authentication)

VPN for Press (Press Plus)

Kabuki2020

For Press

Internet for FA system

Samurai2020

Dedicated to FAs of the Organising Committee

Network for IOC StaffIOC

For IOC

Table 4SSID Name

Number of Terminals Used (Identified by MAC Address)
Average per day

Maximum number(date)TOKYO2020‑TLS

3 751 6779 44 958（7/26）

Kimono2020

4 160 61 000 6

5 659（7/26）

Samurai2020

56 2

50 8

226（7/23）

Onigiri2020

1 561 3812 22 738（7/25）

Omotenashi2020（‑2）

1 700 6351 42 120（7/30）

Sakura2020（‑2）

23 514 515 189 547 170（7/28）

Sushi2020

1 888 5546 0

2 539（8/26）

Wasabi2020
Katana2020（‑2）
Kabuki2020

924 4

246 5

1 200（8/7 ）14 081 4

9 401 029 311（7/29）

89 2

76 7

232（7/24）

IOC

266 5

68 0

367（7/23）

OBS

1 524 7793 82 669（7/28）

1204

OBS Plus
T2020̲Official̲Hospitality

32

Standard deviation

2

─＊Planned but not used

Trouble Cases of Wi‑Fi Connections and Its

access On the other hand the wired ports installed at

Troubleshooting : Instability of Wi‑Fi for theeach press seat were only used about 30% of what had

Pressbeen installed The resolution of troubles was driven by

Prior to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games

a lot of joint work between IOC Tokyo 2020 and NTT

on July 23 2021 Wi‑Fi for press in the MPC thewith deployment of in depth reviews of Wi‑Fi services to

National Stadium and other locations had difficulty

different centres and tribunes in specific sites alongconnecting to Wi‑Fi Access Points (APs) There werewith specialists from NTT As a result the following

several causes : many press staff members broughtmeasures had been implemented and troubles resolved

terminals and connected to the Wi‑Fi made speed notin about one week:high enough ; the Wi‑Fi devices (router) brought into
the venue had interreference with the Wi‑Fi frequency①

Switched the Wi‑Fi AP channel and signal

the Organising Committee provided ; there were somestrength from automatic to manual settings andlocations where the signal strength was not strong to

optimized them according to the environment theySpecial Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 202043

were installed (184 APs in total)②

Relocated Wi‑Fi Aps at the press tribune and4．Summary and Discussion for the Next Article

media centre at each venue to higher and more

This article introduced the major systems andvisible locations and installed additional 43 APs inservices superimposed on the Games Data Network as

areas where the number of press agency exceeded

well as described about the Wi‑Fi connections used tofrom the original planconnect to FA systems③

Since the wired cable connection had been

The equipment for the FA systems installed over the

USB‑LANOTN was managed and operated by the end users

conversion adapters were quickly procured andincluding FAs Although certain guidelines were pro-

distributed to the press encouraging them to usedvided and system reviews were made beforehand there

wired connections

were limitations in managing overall operation For

sufficiently installed to each seatIn addition the wireless team monitored the use

example if the preparation and test were not sufficientlyof prohibited frequency bands in the venue andconducted beforehand issue such as designed usage

asked to stop using those devices when they were

were found different from actual usage in the earlyfoundedstages of implementation In such cases the network
also needed to diagnose its connection along with the

The main reason for this situation is thought to be theanalysis of the system The case of Wi‑Fi issue for thedramatic increase of using wireless LANs compared topress although it was not an FA system but access tothe past Games

the internet is an example of a trouble that occurred due

Initially primary requirement was wired connection
because stability was the priority Therefore wired port

to the difference between usage assumption and its
actual usage

had been installed at each press tribune seat while Wi‑

Providing network to FAs gave the technology teams

Fi connection was considered as a secondary purpose

an opportunity to recognize the difficulty of governanceHoweverthe number of press users using Wi‑Fi

assigning and sharing responsibilities with inside andoutnumbered those using wired connections in Tokyo

outside the Organising Committee The next section will2020 Games This is maybe due to the increase in thediscuss the major “communication services” in detailnumber of notebook PCs without LAN ports
In addition

from a marketing perspectivetheOlympic venues were designed to be “clean venues”
which meant that communication devices were notallowed to be installed where visible such as spectator
seats and seats around the press tribunes for televisionviewing Therefore APs were initially installed under
the seats or hidden in the walls with the top boards andwalls covering them This is thought to be another cause(Received February 28 2022 ; Revised March 24 2022)

MUTO Kenji
Graduated from Rikkyo University in 1997
with a degree in Economics He joined Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT)in the same year and received his MBA from
Emory University in 2008 He joined the Tokyo
Olympic and Paralympic Games project since2015 and is currently working for Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation(NTT East)of instability of Wi‑Fi connection We should emphasizethat one lesson for the future Organising Committee willbe the high density Wi‑Fi solutions for MPC Venue
Media Centres and tribunes to meet the operational
needs of media should be studied on a priority basis inadvance

SAITO Wataru
Completed master degree at the Universityof Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering in
1993 He joined Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) in the same year andreceived his MBA from Carnegie Mellon
University in 2001 Seconded to Tokyo 2020
Organising Committee from 2018 General
Manager of Information Infrastructure Department Technology Services Bureau㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇

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