Two weeks after the closing of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, The Paralympic sports competitions began in the same city.
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Within the framework of these major sporting events, the leading global technology solutions company Softtek analyzed the relevance that technology has in all Olympic disciplines, in its ‘White Paper Olympics & Tech’.
In it, Softtek highlights that technology is an ally to improve the performance of athletes and facilitate the work of coaches, judges and referees, as well as improving the experience of spectators.
In the last edition of Paris 2024 10,500 athletes from 206 nationalities participated in 32 sports disciplines, along with 22 adapted Paralympic sports.
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These games had another protagonist that broke presence records: technology.
Exercise
In this analysis, Softtek recapitulates all the areas in which technological innovation contributed to offering an unprecedented event:
• Athletes: Technology has revolutionised the athlete experience. The use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) has allowed athletes to practice in immersive environments, improving their preparation and performance. Generative Artificial Intelligence has transformed and will continue to transform training and competition planning, offering intelligent training systems that provide detailed information and personalised recommendations in real time to identify areas for improvement. In addition, the adoption of wearable technologies and sensors in sportswear allows the monitoring of athletes’ biomechanics and movements with unprecedented precision.
• Smart Stadiums: The technological revolution of the Olympic Games began with the addition of the first “Smart Stadiums”, equipped with networks of sensors and IoT devices that provide real-time data on traffic, transport, pollution and weather conditions. The new 5G networks, with their high speed and low latency, allow fast and reliable data transmission from computer vision cameras to smartphones, drones and IoT sensors. At these Olympics, there were more than 12,000 connected screens, 8,000 Wi-Fi terminals and 13,000 computers, all linked by more than 400,000 kilometres of optical fibre.
• Olympic Smart City and sustainability: Paris made history at the Olympic Games with its commitment to sustainability and has become the first Olympic Smart City. By implementing innovative solutions in transport, energy and waste management, from the use of electric vehicles to the optimisation of energy resources, the city has shown that it is possible to host an event of this magnitude with minimal environmental impact.
• Improved fan and spectator experience: The way fans enjoy sports content is changing rapidly, with traditional TV broadcasting giving way to streaming platforms, online apps and social media. These new channels have allowed viewers to access on-demand content, and this year’s edition saw widespread access to personalised content options. Already at the Tokyo Olympics, it was recorded that 64% of Olympic-related content was consumed via online platforms, marking a significant shift in the way sport is experienced.
• AI in cybersecurity for safe gaming: With increased connectivity characterising this edition and exposure to large volumes of sensitive data hosted in the cloud, cybersecurity has become a critical priority. Advances include the use of Artificial Intelligence to detect and respond to threats in real time, protecting the integrity of athletes’ data, event infrastructure and spectators’ personal information.
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Mauro Mattioda, CEO of Softtek Hispanic South America, emphasizes that “The integration of advanced technologies into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games marks the beginning of a new era for sport, where innovation becomes an essential ally for excellence and global unity”; However, he warns that for this transformation to be truly inclusive and ethical, a collective effort will be essential to promote research, develop solid regulatory frameworks and ensure that all athletes, regardless of their access to resources, can compete on equal terms.
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