Dragongateway, a company with an all British Management team, is leading an international consortium to launch a pandemic management solution called Rebuild The Chain (RTC). RTC Sport and Entertainment are two COVID19 mobile-led applications aimed at bringing sports fans and audiences back to live sport and entertainment. RTC is a suite of COVID19 back-to-business solutions which includes Government, Sport and Live Entertainment applications deployed across entire countries, professional sports leagues, Festivals & live events respectively.  RTC satisfies economic and emotional needs to rebuild and future proof businesses against COVID19 and future pandemics.

In brief, RTC Sport and RTC Entertainment create a ‘Safe Zone’ or COVID free zone around a venue(s) in which no person or surface is COVID infected.  The two applications are similar in that they harness the speed, efficiency and accuracy of rapid test kits (98.6% accuracy), a mobile app, appropriate PPE and the security of blockchain technology.  The latter meaning that not only is fan/audience data GDPR compliant it is also absolutely secure.

With a global network of contacts and suppliers, RTC offers all the latest COVID safety tech such as thermal cameras, sanitiser mist tunnels and so on to ensure the public feels as safe as is currently possible. At events, real-time test kits mean consumers’  ‘safe status’ is uploaded immediately to their smartphone to be checked by stewards at a Green Zone checkpoint and again as they enter the venue at ticket collection.

Sonya Kapur, a Dragongateway Director, said: “We aim to enable fans and audiences to safely return to the sports, festivals and concerts they love.  We plan to target major professional sports and their leagues such as the Premier League and major events such as the Olympics, Euros or World Cup test events.  From the world of entertainment, we can create safe zones for Festivals like Glastonbury, arena tours, concert venues and even b2b conferences/exhibitions like Consumer Electronics Show or Mobile World Congress.”

She continues. We are currently in contractual discussions with several countries to deploy RTC Government across entire countries. So our ambitions within sport and entertainment in the UK, Europe and even further afield are well within our capabilities.  All our applications will be modified to reflect local government guidelines and client needs.

The application of Blockchain technology is just one of the reasons which differentiate RTC from its competitors. Data safety remains a hot topic amongst consumers and continues to fuel debate around the Government’s Track and Track application.

A spokesman for Accubits, the specialist behind RTC’s blockchain capability, said, “RTC the pandemic management platform from Accubits Inc., is a focused privacy platform that ensures decentralised data storage and data security. The data governance policy of the platform ensures that all data is encrypted and securely stored on infrastructure as per the data laws of the government implementing it.”

This holistic approach to create RTC, the pandemic management solution, stems from a collaborative approach taken by five international companies led by Dragongateway; and includes Accubits Inc, FutureTech, Nexus and LL Consultancy.

Fan zones are a very attractive and important feature of major sporting events. There are several reasons for this, including:

• unrestricted access;
• enjoying the atmosphere of the event with other fans, feeling like you are part of it;
• watching the action on a giant screen with great pictures;
• without having to pay for a ticket (often very expensive) for entry to the stadium.

But unrestricted access is a real problem in terms of security, since it is impossible to track who is inside the fan zone. In the event of a terrorist act committed inside, it would be a real nightmare finding victims and attackers.

Some fan zones hold more than 70,000 people. In these zones, the cost of proper security is almost unsustainable. Cities and towns that host these zones are unlikely to be assisted by the organisers, who demand many things but rarely finance them.

Let us remember that the attack in Atlanta 1996, with two deaths and a large number seriously injured, took place in a fan zone – even if it was not called that at the time.

People who attend fan zones are rarely rich people. But maintaining free and unhindered access to the fan villages is to continue running a particularly high risk, putting the life of fans in danger.

While there is no such thing as zero risk, it is possible to considerably reduce risk simply and without great expense by:

- making screening devices mandatory;

- controlling entry and exit with human security, as well as patrols inside the zone;

- charging a very low admission fee for entry badges with a credit card requiring registration on the internet, to show who is inside the zone.

Even though this will remove some of the spontaneity that makes these zones so attractive, it will significantly reduce the risk and allow fans and families to go to these joyful places that are so motivating for local authorities and their image. 

For the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, the organisers decided that entry for spectators would be completely free of charge, but they required registration on the internet. Though this did not shorten queues at the stadium entrance, it enabled a good level of security to be achieved for an enormous crowd – and this is vital today.