A fibre optic setup from VDC gives the perfect start to a sporting event that will take its place in the history books, as national and world records tumble throughout the championships.

The 17th FINA World Championships, taking place in Budapest and Balatonfüred in Hungary, are one of the biggest sporting events in the world in terms of participation and global exposure.

The 2017 championships is the largest sporting showcase Hungary has ever hosted, lining up almost 3,000 athletes in six different disciplines – swimming, diving, water polo, openwater, synchronised swimming and high diving.

The event kicked off with an impressive two-hour opening ceremony set across the Danube, Budapest’s Chain Bridge and the Castle on the Buda side of the river. More than 500 dancers and artists as well as a host of volunteers took part in the ceremony accompanied by an elaborate display of light and sound, including underwater projections, lasers and a pulsating soundscape, before the thousands of athletes from over 180 nations were welcomed.

Budapest’s GEM Rendezvenytechnikai KFT was called in to design the audio infrastructure for the event and once again turned to VDC Trading for a solution. A fibre optic setup was chosen to support a Nexo-based sound system and a 180sqm videowall. In total 5.2km of fibre optical cable from Van Damme and Neutrik, along with 600m of Van Damme’s TourCat cable were installed for the event.