AI and tech innovations at Paris 2024: A game changer in sport
20 July 2024 – With applications ranging from athlete safeguarding to enhanced broadcast experiences and efficient energy management, artificial intelligence (AI) and technology innovations are set to transform some aspects of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, paving the way for future editions.
In a groundbreaking initiative, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched the Olympic AI Agenda in April 2024, setting out the envisioned impact that AI can deliver for sport. The Paris Games will witness the first examples of implementation.
“The IOC will use AI at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, in different areas. A very important one is safeguarding from cyber abuse, since we expect about half a billion social media posts during these Games. AI will also be used to create highlights videos in multiple formats and languages during these Games. We are also using AI to make the Olympic Games more sustainable, through a very sophisticated first-ever data capture and energy management system. AI is also opening up new ways for talent identification, and this project will be launched by us globally in 2025 to live up to the commitment we made that AI in sport must be accessible to everybody.”
Thomas Bach, IOC President
The development of the Olympic AI Agenda was supported by Worldwide Olympic Partners Alibaba, Deloitte, Intel and OMEGA and Media Rights-Holders, including Warner Bros. Discovery and NBC.
“We will see some pioneering concepts at Paris 2024,” says Ilario Corna, the IOC’s Chief Technology Officer. “We are taking a measured approach for now, to test and evaluate how AI can be used to enhance the Olympic Games and have them future-ready.”
Athletes at the heart of the Games
The AI-powered monitoring system designed to protect athletes from online abuse was already announced earlier this year by the IOC. It will use AI to monitor hundreds of thousands of social media accounts and flag abusive messages for intervention by the relevant platforms.
In addition, says Corna, athletes, who are at the heart of the Olympic Games, will also be able to test drive a new chat service that the IOC is providing in partnership with Intel, on the Athlete365 platform.
He adds: “For accredited athletes at the Games, the service is designed to provide easy and quick answers to Frequently Asked Questions on topics such as social media guidelines, anti-doping rules, and Rule 50 regulations.”
Efficient planning through digital twinning
There are also behind-the-scenes applications of AI that will pave the way for more efficient planning of the Olympic Games in the future. The energy consumption at Paris 2024 will be monitored in real time, and the captured data will be used to inform future planning.
“We started gathering various operational data as far back as 2020, to look at how we can make the management of the Olympic Games more efficient,” explains Corna.
“For planning, we are now working with our Partner Intel using the concept of digital twinning, or digital representations of venues so we can foresee, for example, where we would need power, where we would need to place cameras, and if there could be any accessibility issues – all without needing to be on site every time. Using these digital twins of the Games venues, we can change the way we organise the Games.
The Olympic Movement’s Worldwide Information Technology Partner Atos will coordinate a team of 15 technology partners comprising over 2,000 experts, all working to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 fully connected, secure and digitally enabled.
Broadcast and engagement
In collaboration with the IOC’s commercial and broadcast partners, AI will also be used by Olympic Broadcasting Services during Paris 2024 to improve internal workflows, enhance the viewer experience, enrich storytelling and better explain certain sports events.
“This includes collaborating with Worldwide Olympic Partner Alibaba to provide a record number of multi-camera replay systems with AI-powered, high-quality reconstruction in the cloud, to create three-dimensional models and mapping of additional viewpoints across 21 sports and disciplines. This will deliver more compelling replays from more camera angles.”
Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS)
To drive better efficiency for broadcasters, Alibaba Cloud launched OBS Cloud in conjunction with OBS in September 2018, and supported the broadcast coverage of Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022.
The implementation of OBS Cloud provides an alternative to heavy investment for Media Rights-Holders and the host cities, as Olympic Games-related content can be transmitted over the cloud, effectively reducing the carbon footprint.
At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, OMEGA will act as the Official Timekeeper for the 31st time. Working with OMEGA, OBS will unlock the power of AI to deliver faster, more relevant, and insightful data during the Olympic Games. For example, intelligent stroboscopic analysis across diving, athletics and artistic gymnastics will enable viewers to better understand the movements and biomechanics of the athletes. In addition, in diving, OBS and OMEGA will use AI to generate enhanced data graphics, providing a new set of data on each athlete’s performance in the air and when entering the water. AI-based motion tracking technology will also help commentators and viewers keep track of athletes’ positions during canoe sprint, marathon, race walks, cycling road (road race and time trial), cycling mountain bike, marathon swimming, rowing, sailing and triathlon.
As the Official AI Platform Partner for Paris 2024, Intel will introduce innovative AI experiences to help transform the Olympic experience for fans, organisers, athletes and viewers across the globe. Automatic Highlights Generation will be introduced, which will automatically compile key moments from 14 sports and disciplines into tailored highlights reels, based on Media Rights-Holders’ preferences, to personalise their content and further engage their digital and social media audiences.
The automatic highlights inference engine is based on AI models that have been trained with use of the Intel Geti AI software tools, specialising in AI-supported visual content processing. The models have been trained sport by sport with content that was retrieved from the vast Olympic sports video archive.
High-tech Opening Ceremony
Samsung, as the official Wireless Communication and Computing Equipment Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, will equip Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones on each country’s boat during the historic Opening Ceremony on the River Seine to offer a closer connection with this first-of-its-kind celebration by sharing on-board footage via an exclusive 5G network powered by Orange, the official mobile network provider of Paris 2024.
This technology integration will also be used during the Olympic sailing competition to bring fans closer to the athletes, and the action on the water, than ever before.
