With this year’s U20 World Wrestling Championship being hosted in Amman, the Jordanian Wrestling Federation tasked audio-visual company RB Event Technology with managing the event. “Our team member Adnan Al Dala is a former Jordanian Champion in wrestling, and after transitioning his career, he maintained an interest in the wrestling scene,” explained RB Event Technology Project Manager Ahmad Al Haj. “With his background, the Jordanian Wrestling Federation reached out to him regarding the U20 World Wrestling Championship.”
With a strong reputation as one of Jordan’s most prominent audio-visual companies, RB Event Technology has an active portfolio of sporting events, including Cage Warriors, which also took place in Amman. For the U20 World Wrestling Championship, the company’s Co-Founder, Muhannad Al Rabadi, met with the client on several occasions to define the brief before the requirements were translated into a technical design.
“The brief revolved primarily around the sport, emphasising the artistic presentation of the show,” Al Haj commented. “This artistic focus greatly influenced our approach to the lighting design. Our team of accomplished lighting designers, including Mahmoud Al Daraghmeh, Sachin Lele, and Ahmad Al Shurofat, demonstrated exceptional skill in bringing this vision to life.”
An extensive inventory of lighting, audio, LED and trussing and rigging products were deployed. ADJ was the brand of choice on the lighting rig, with 96 PAR Z Move, 48 Vizi Wash Z19, 24 Vizi Beam 12RX and 24 Focus Profile fixtures selected.
“The pivotal fixture was the ADJ PAR Z Move,” said Al Haj. “We positioned 24 of the fixtures around each mat at a 45° angle, and an additional set of eight PAR Z Move units were suspended at the centre to light up each mat. Given the colour temperature of the fixture (3,000K), we sought equilibrium by incorporating the Focus Profile with a white colour. Following this methodology provided the best setting for the photographers, referees, and fighters.”A total of 200 sq m of Esdlumen Eastar Wing Series P3.9mm SMD indoor LED screen combined with 16 Samsung LED screens, Magnimage LED-W4000 Series video processing, and Dataton Watchpax media servers to round out the visual setup. While a 250m cross section of Dura Truss trussing and 32 CHAINMASTER CM-901001-25 one-tonne motors were provided.
The PA system was made up of L-Acoustics Kara, SB18 and 112P, controlled using a Midas M32 console. A Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus2 Professional DJ multi-player and DJM 900 Nexus2 four-channel professional DJ mixer was also provided, along with JBL SRX812P monitors and Shure microphones.
Looking back on the project, Al Haj was pleased with the way the team managed the expectations of the various stakeholders at play. “There were distinct expectations from all parties,” he recalled. “For instance, photographers needed a particular lighting temperature, the control room sought uninterrupted transitions between visuals and music, and organisers mandated uniform sound dispersion, factoring in the presence of elderly attendees. Addressing these multifaceted challenges demanded meticulous attention and constant vigilance throughout the event.”
He concluded: “The entirety of the production exuded a cinematic quality – marked by opulence and an exhilarating atmosphere. I recall the palpable enthusiasm within my team as we cheered for one of the wrestlers, who eventually emerged victorious. The experience remains vivid in my memory.”
Read more in the latest issue of TPiMEA here.
Photos: RB Event Technology
