IOC Partners With Intel For VR, 5G And 360 Video Replays At Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Intel have announced a long-term technology partnership to digitally transform the Olympic Games.

Intel will join “The Olympic Partner” (TOP) worldwide sponsorship program through until 2024 and will be tasked with using cutting-edge technology such as virtual reality (VR) and 360 video to modernise the Olympic experience for fans.

The first official showcase will take place at the Pyeongchang Winter Games in South Korea in February 2018 – which will become the first ‘all cloud’ Games – where Intel will provide real-time virtual reality viewing of the event.

The partnership also covers the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and the 2024 Olympic Games in a city yet to be selected – either Paris or Los Angeles.

Intel + IOC

“As a result of Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC is forging groundbreaking partnerships,” said IOC President Thomas Bach at a conference in New York today. “Intel is a world leader in its field, and we’re very excited to be working with the Intel team to drive the future of the Olympic Games through cutting-edge technology.

“Thanks to our new innovative global partnership with Intel, fans in the stadium, athletes and audiences around the world will soon experience the magic of the Olympic Games in completely new ways.”

Intel will roll out different services throughout the partnership seven-year partnership. For example, Intel True VR will provide the first live virtual reality broadcast of the Olympic Winter Games to provide a more immersive experience for fans.

Intel 360 replay technology, in comparison, will enable fans to experience the Games from every angle at the Olympic venues and will expand into viewer’s homes s they can choose how they watch their favourite sports.

Furthermore, a drone light show will create unique images in the sky, a 5G showcase will be built at future games to showcase the future of 5G communications and Intel will provide technological and content support for Olympic Broadcasting Services’ host broadcaster operations.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said the company is “excited to join the Olympic Movement and integrate Intel’s innovative technologies to advance the Olympic Games experience for fans around the world,” adding that the collaboration will help to “accelerate the adoption of technology for the future of sports on the world’s largest athletic stage.”

The IOC also boasts several other high-profile technology companies as partners.

For example, Samsung is providing smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops, printers and other computer equipment to local organising committees until 2020, while Alibaba recently signed an 11-year partnership to supply cloud infrastructure and services until 2028.

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