How we handled COVID at the World Cup in Jasná 2021

The organizers of the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Jasná approached us with a request to handle accreditations and access control for the individual zones, more than a year before the event itself. Back then, no one had any idea about a pandemic and everything looked simple – after all, we already had experience with the Alpine Skiing World Cup from 2019 in Špindlerúv Mlýn,

where we handled accreditations, printed plastic cards – badges with a photo, a QR code, and for all event participants, from staff, through volunteers, FIS officials, media, members of the ski teams, all the way to the competitors and VIPs themselves, according to FIS requirements. In total, we issued over 3000 accreditations and, using our Inviton Promoter app and "scanners", we controlled entry to 14 zones. In total we had 40 different types of accreditation.

At the World Cup in Jasná 2021, COVID complicated the situation for the organizers, but also for us. We had to split the individual zones into 4 bubbles (yellow, blue, green and red), and participants from these bubbles could not meet within a single zone. On top of all the participants, we therefore also had to accredit all the hotel staff and the resort staff.

How did we handle the individual checks?

Transport

Every World Cup participant received from us a ticket with a QR code, which gave them a single passage through the checkpoints at the park-and-ride lot in Demänovská dolina and then through the parking lot at Lúčky.
We also needed to solve entry for apartment owners and all the "locals" who needed access to their properties. They all registered and received from us an entry permit with a QR code, which was checked at the transport checkpoints. Depending on the location of the property, we let them through only via the park-and-ride lot in Demänovská dolina, or also via the Lúčky parking lot.

COVID

After arriving in Demänovská dolina, every participant had to undergo a PCR test (employees and staff) or an antigen test (competitors, teams, partners, media). A negative test was a condition for issuing the accreditation. The MEDIREX staff who handled the testing at 4 sampling points received from us tablets with the Inviton Promoter application, which contained the list of all event participants. After a test with a negative result, they recorded this information in the app. As a result, all 4 accreditation pickup points received the information about the negative test immediately and could issue the accreditation.
The test was valid for 72 hours, and once this time elapsed, access was automatically blocked on all scanners, to all zones, unless the participant took another test with a negative result. We of course informed them about the need for a new test by SMS 2 hours in advance.

Journalist registration

All journalists registered on the World Cup website using an API widget directly into our system, where they entered all the necessary information and contacts and uploaded their photo, which was later printed on the accreditation. The media coordinator then approved the type of accreditation and automatically sent accreditation confirmations along with instructions by email. For RTVS, which provided the television broadcast, we used our Guestlist system, thanks to which they were able to manage on their own the staff who attended the event. They were also able to manage all the changes, of which, unfortunately, there were quite a few because of COVID. They therefore did not have to bother the media coordinator with every change. After successfully passing the COVID testing, the journalists then picked up their accreditation at a pickup point.

Accreditations

At the World Cup we issued in total more than 3000 cards for entry through the transport checkpoints, 40 different types of accreditation, and altogether more than 2100 accreditations with a participant photo, which we printed from the Inviton system – with different graphics depending on the type of accreditation and the zones the participant had access to.

In total, we performed more than 6000 scans at the transport checkpoints, more than 3000 records of a negative test, and altogether more than 11000 scans at the other control points in the individual zones.

A great way to cap off the World Cup in Jasná was, of course, the victory of our own Peta Vlhová in the giant slalom. It is a shame that several thousand fans in the stands could not celebrate this success with Peťa. 

We thank the organizers and the entire staff, and we look forward to the next World Cup in Jasná.