The Paris 2024 Olympics have been a trending topic, even since the dates were released, and the tech world is watching with excitement as the latest innovations are being used to make the Season more technologically advanced than ever. One major way the Olympics will be using tech, is with AI. “We will see some pioneering concepts at Paris 2024. 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,” explained Ilario Corna, the IOC’s Chief Technology Officer.
The AI Agenda For The Olympics
In a document named the “AI Agenda”, the IOC has created a full on strategy on how AI will be used to make the Olympics a much more futuristic Season. This agenda, released in April this year, looks at ways to improve how AI helps sports and the Olympic Games. The Agenda is separated into five focus areas. The first one looks at how AI can support athletes, improve fair competition, and create safe sporting environments. Then, the second focuses on equal access to AI benefits for all athletes.
This is important as it levels the playing field. Thirdly, the IOC looks at how AI can make the operations of the Olympic Games more efficient and sustainable. Next, the Agenda breaks down how AI enriches the spectator experience by engaging fans with personalised digital interactions. Lastly, the focus here is on making sure of operational effectiveness within the Olympic management and organisations.
Ethics And Sustainable Use Of AI In The Games
Of course, with AI being used, the Agenda looks at how the tech will be used responsibly and ethically, so that sports becomes more inclusive. “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.”
For viewers, AI will create content that is personalised, and creates new experiences for viewers, like 3D replays and stroboscopic analysis for those watching to understand athletes’ movements better.
“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,” announced Thomas Bach, IOC President.
How Is Tracking Technology Being Used?
AI is not the only new tech being used at the Games. Richard Godfrey, CEO and co-founder of Rocketmakers shares their amazing innovation, that uses tracking technology to monitor the performance and overall health of athletes this Summer:
“With the 2024 Paris Games almost ending, technology has become indispensable for maximising athlete performance. It has transformed how athletes train. Performance Data Management Software (PDMS) is a sophisticated software platform for elite athletes and their support teams. It gathers a wide range of data from athletes such as medical records, daily athlete input training and objective measurements from sensors and wearable devices. Analysing this combined data provides coaches and medical staff with a complete picture of an athlete’s journey and progress over time.
“PDMS goes beyond tracking metrics. It uses data to tell an athlete’s preparation story, enabling better decision-making for elite-level performance. PDMS also leverages subjective data such as personal input from athletes to deliver more of an objective data analysis. This provides increased accuracy for decision making, injury prevention, training effectiveness and tailoring recovery and performance plans.
“Following the success of TeamGB at the London 2012 Games, the English Institute of Sport (EIS) was determined to pursue ways to sustain medal success. The head of Athlete Health at EIS, Glenn Hunter, explained that the system they were originally relying on could not capture the full range of data needed to drive good decision-making by support staff. This prompted EIS to enlist help from a leading UK software development agency, Rocketmakers.
“One of Team GB’s Paris Gold medallists, Bryony Page, credits the PDMS app as a game changer in her Olympic journey. This innovative tool has revolutionised her training regimen, playing a pivotal role in her victory in women’s trampolining. Bryony enthusiastically shares that the PDMS app enables her to adapt and fine-tune her training routines, directly contributing to her Olympic success.
“In collaboration with Team GB athletes, Rocketmakers developed an accredited app and system called the Performance Data Management System which is used to track athletes’ health and performance. This app harnesses powerful data processing assets to identify patterns and areas for improvement. A specific use case of the PDMS application was during preparations for the Tokyo 2020 games, analysing how respiratory illnesses caused major setbacks during the competition. The solution has also been essential when empowering GB athletes to be on top form for the Paris 2024 games.
“PDMS has become an integral part of elite athlete training and management in Britain. It has been credited for its contribution to Team GB’s record performance at the 2016 Rio Games. the 2020 Tokyo Games and now the 2024 Paris Games.”