The “Tetris game” starts again around 200 metres further on: The Actros trucks are parked with centimetre precision in accordance with the site plan. Ultimately, in addition to the TVN vehicles, there will also be an entire fleet of vehicles parked here. The common mission: To provide the technology for the live broadcast of the German Championships “Finals 2022”. Over the next four days, 190 titles will be competed for in 14 sports, from archery to triathlon.

Lars Lochau and Gabriel Beck are both drivers and technicians for the Hanover film and broadcasting group TVN. It takes around 30 minutes for them to hydraulically extend and secure the side chassis parts of the OB truck – the “simple” semitrailer becomes a space miracle. 18 metres long and now 7.5 metres wide, it provides around 120 square metres of space for 35 employees, directing and sound, production engineers and video technology.

And that’s not all! In addition to the two Actros outside broadcasting trucks, two “set‑up trucks” are also rolled out onto the site, packed to the brim with cameras, microphones, cables, mixers, tripods, monitors and many other devices.

The set‑up trucks will also ultimately have transformed themselves: Expanding to a width of five metres, a further seven workstations are accommodated here. This time, 24 main cameras and additional special cameras will capture the live event. So much special technology comes at a price: “When we’re on the road, the driver moves a seven‑digit value”, says TVN fleet manager Dirk Schlimper. “That’s why we attach great importance to comprehensive security technology, such as that provided by Actros”. Apart from scheduled maintenance, the trucks have never had to go to the workshop. “And if the consumption is so low and the comfort so high, then the overall package is right for us.”

The distances in the Olympic Stadium are long: there is space for 74,475 visitors. For Lochau and Beck this means sweating before the athletes do. “In order to set up and dismantle here, we need to be familiar with video and audio technology”, says Lochau. And no matter what’s coming up, the following applies for everyone: be flexible, have fun – and work as a team. Lochau: “It’s not possible otherwise. Nobody can do anything here on their own.”

It takes a good two days for every camera to be in the right place and for every microphone to be aligned. “When we go live, we even use the Actros cabs”, says Schlimper. “They are very comfortably equipped. It’s not just a relaxed way of working and taking breaks for the driver. Our programme directors also have the peace and quiet they need to add sound to film clips”. Preparations are still underway, but soon the team will have to: Let the games begin!