BEIJING (Reuters)

After days of face-to-face diplomacy at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, it was time for the holograms to take over today (February 6).

A life-size image of International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach virtually handed an Olympic torch to a similar hologram of the chief executive of tech giant Alibaba, Daniel Zhang, who was more than 1,000 km away from Beijing in Shanghai.

No longer the preserve of sci-fi movies, hologram technology is becoming a real communications option, especially after COVID-19 put the brakes on global travel, driving firms such as China’s Alibaba to seek alternatives to in-person meetings beyond video conferences.

“We’re living in a different world,” the virtual Bach said of the technology in 2022 compared with the 2008 Summer Games that was also held in Beijing.

China’s tough COVID protocols have greatly curbed in-person interactions during the Winter Olympics, with participants restricted to a “closed loop” with no direct contact with the Chinese public.

“I’d love to see it in your office,” Bach, who was inside the loop, told Zhang, whose company has been an Olympic partner since 2017.