Tokyo 2020: connected bracelets will send "pulses of support" to New Zealand athletes

ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited) will activate its partnership with the New Zealand Olympic and Paralympic team, offering athletes the opportunity to wear an "ANZ Support Band" a connected wristband that will allow them to receive vibrations transmitted remotely by fans as a form of encouragement, during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games (postponed by one year, from 23/07 to 08/08/2021), announced the banking group on 08/03/2021.

"The ANZ Support Band is a Bluetooth wristband that will enable fans at home to send a 'pulse of support' to athletes at the Tokyo Games from 23/07/2021 by tapping their device or directly through the NZ Team app. Athletes will be given a band which can vibrate when a pulse of support is received. It will also show them how many pulses of support have been sent," added ANZ, while Japanese authorities have since indicated that the Tokyo Olympics will be played without foreign spectators (22/03/2021).

"Whenever our athletes perform they draw a lot of inspiration from the support of their fans. Because fans might not be present in…