Riedel Builds Global Communication and Commentary Network for 15th National Games of China

Riedel Communications announces that it provided a fully integrated communications and commentary solution for the 15th National Games of China, supporting 56 competition venues and four International Broadcast Centers (IBCs) across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao.

Over the 30-day event, the system operated without interruption, enabling coordination for 56 broadcasting teams and 39 ultra-high-definition productions.

“The 15th National Games marks the first time Hong Kong and Macao have participated as host regions. This presented unique challenges in coordinating communications across multiple locations,” says Yuquan Lin, Technical Director of the National Games RHB. “Riedel’s solution addressed these complexities with a system that ensured seamless connectivity between four IBCs and 56 venues. From deployment to integration, the technology enabled efficient collaboration among teams from all three regions. The reliability and performance of Riedel’s infrastructure set a strong technical benchmark for large-scale, cross-regional events.”

Held from Nov. 9-21, the Games brought together athletes from provinces, municipalities, and special administrative regions to compete in 34 sports, including athletics, swimming, basketball, cycling, and gymnastics. The event also featured mass participation activities in 23 sports, making it a showcase of sporting excellence and community engagement.

The National Games introduced an innovative “one main and three branch” IBCs layout, with Guangzhou serving as the main signal hub linking three regional sub-centers in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao. To meet the demands of this distributed architecture, Riedel deployed its Artist intercom platform as the backbone of the network.

An Artist-1024 matrix at the Guangzhou IBC supported over 200 channels, including AES67/ST2110-30 IP transmission and MADI signal integration, while an Artist-128 handled dedicated commentary channels. Both matrices were linked via cascaded fiber connections, creating a redundant configuration for uninterrupted performance.

Across all IBCs, Riedel installed 28 RSP-2318 SmartPanels featuring AES67/ST2110-30 compatibility and PTPv2 clocking for precise synchronization. These panels enabled direct, low-latency communication between production teams and rights-holding broadcasters. At the venue level, 56 NSA-002A adapters converted traditional four-wire signals into IP streams with latency under 10 milliseconds, ensuring real-time connectivity even during peak traffic periods.

Riedel also provided 13 CCP-1116 commentary panels for the opening and closing ceremonies and 13 major competitions. Each booth integrated high-quality pre-amplification and intercom functionality, allowing commentators to interact directly with production teams while maintaining pristine audio for broadcast audiences.

“The scale and complexity of this year’s National Games required a robust, flexible solution capable of bridging multiple regions,” says Guillaume Mauffrey, Director Sales Asia at Riedel Communications. “Our team worked closely with technical partners to design and implement a system that delivered reliable, real-time communication across all venues and broadcast centers. This deployment underscores Riedel’s expertise in managing large-scale, multi-node events and our commitment to advancing IP-based workflows for live production environments.”