<p>After days of face to face diplomacy at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, it was time for the holograms to take over on Sunday.</p>.<p>A life-size image of International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach virtually handed an Olympic torch to a similar hologram of the chief executive of tech giant Alibaba, Daniel Zhang, who was more than 1,000 km away from Beijing in Shanghai.</p>.<p>No longer the preserve of sci-fi movies, hologram technology is becoming a real communications option, especially after Covid-19 put the brakes on global travel, driving firms such as China's Alibaba to seek alternatives to in-person meetings beyond video conferences.</p>.<p>"We’re living in a different world," the virtual Bach said of the technology in 2022 compared with the 2008 Summer Games that was also held in Beijing.</p>.<p>China's tough Covid protocols have greatly curbed in-person interactions during the Winter Olympics, with participants restricted to a "closed loop" with no direct contact with the Chinese public.</p>.<p>“I’d love to see it in your office,” Bach, who was inside the loop, told Zhang, whose company has been an Olympic partner since 2017.</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>
<p>After days of face to face diplomacy at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, it was time for the holograms to take over on Sunday.</p>.<p>A life-size image of International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach virtually handed an Olympic torch to a similar hologram of the chief executive of tech giant Alibaba, Daniel Zhang, who was more than 1,000 km away from Beijing in Shanghai.</p>.<p>No longer the preserve of sci-fi movies, hologram technology is becoming a real communications option, especially after Covid-19 put the brakes on global travel, driving firms such as China's Alibaba to seek alternatives to in-person meetings beyond video conferences.</p>.<p>"We’re living in a different world," the virtual Bach said of the technology in 2022 compared with the 2008 Summer Games that was also held in Beijing.</p>.<p>China's tough Covid protocols have greatly curbed in-person interactions during the Winter Olympics, with participants restricted to a "closed loop" with no direct contact with the Chinese public.</p>.<p>“I’d love to see it in your office,” Bach, who was inside the loop, told Zhang, whose company has been an Olympic partner since 2017.</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>