AI Takes Center Stage at Paris 2024 Olympic Games

At the Olympic Games in Paris, AI will have the final say in which athletes win medals - Softonic

Omega, which has been measuring every race and every test since 1932, now uses AI to improve the process like never before Wired recently published an article about an event on August 27, 1960, at the Olympic Games in Rome, where one of the most controversial gold medals in history was awarded. It was in the men's 100-meter freestyle swimming event, when Australian John Devitt and American Lance Larson recorded the same final time of 55.2 seconds. And it was Devitt who took home the gold medal. Swimming was timed using three stopwatches per lane, all with timers, from which the average time was taken. In case of a tie, a head judge, in this case the Swedish Hans Runströmer, was responsible for deciding. Although Larson was technically a tenth of a second faster, Runströmer decreed that the times were equal and awarded the victory to Devitt. It was this controversy that, in 1968, led Omega to develop touch panels at the ends of the swimming lanes so that athletes could stop the timing, thus eliminating any risk of human error. Swiss Timing, the Omega branch with 400 employees that deals with everything related to timing, measurement or tracking of almost all sports, has been part of the Olympic Games since 1932. Yes, it has been a long time since Swiss Timing has simply been dedicated to timing a race. Although the Omega logo has been present on all timing devices at the Olympic Games since 1932 (with the exception of Seiko in 1964 and 1992), Swiss Timing does much more than timing the start and finish. 'We tell the story of the race, not just the result,' says Alain Zobrist, director of Swiss Timing, as indicated by Wired. As for Paris 2024, that story has many more stories than before. '2018 was crucial for us,' says Zobrist. 'That's when we started introducing motion sensors into athletes' clothing, which allowed us to understand the complete performance: what happens between the starting line and the finish line.' These sensors not only displayed the distance, but also the step count, maximum speeds, acceleration, deceleration, and tailwinds. In swimming, they could track the number of strokes. Around 2,000 data points, on a monitor weighing 12 grams, were transmitted in less than a tenth of a second. This data could be sent to coaches and athletes themselves, to be used as a training tool. For Paris, Swiss Timing will use artificial intelligence to analyze that data and try to make sense of it in real time, so that it can create a narrative of the race that can be used not only by the participants, but also by the media. The biggest novelty is the ability to use historical data. 'Now you can input data from previous races and use it to make predictions about an athlete's performance,' explains Zobrist. 'Artificial intelligence can now analyze individual performances and compare them to others. We are taking a snapshot of time, or rather, of what happens over time.' Zobrist has stated that Swiss Timing will be able to identify favorites with much more accuracy, track and analyze their performance halfway through the race, and then compare this data with that of other athletes, to subsequently determine the reasons why a certain athlete won or lost at each moment of that competition. But apart from the new on-screen graphics and improved data analysis, perhaps the most impressive innovation is what they can do with body imaging cameras. Four years ago, when body images were introduced, the visual effects were primitive, similar to freehand drawings made by a child. Now Swiss Timing has what it simply calls 'computer vision': systems of one or more cameras that input images into artificial intelligence models specifically trained for each sport in order to create fully realistic bodies. In springboard diving, the systems will track the athletes from the beginning to the end of their dive, producing a 3D image using a specific mathematical algorithm, while also generating image data and metrics such as entry speed into the water. These data should also allow judges to see the distance between the diver and the board, a specific distance that used to be judged by sight and, if not maintained, is a reason for point deduction. In tennis, in addition to following the players in real time, the reaction to the serve will be shown: the speed with which it is returned, the position of the racket, and the accuracy.

Here's how Intel has snuck into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: with AI everywhere - Softonic

Intel is not far behind in the implementation of AI in the Paris Olympic Games Intel's AI hardware and software solutions will power immersive and inclusive experiences at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This is being announced by Intel's communication team through social media and media outlets. During the Paris Olympic Games, AI applications powered by Intel processors and software solutions will showcase the potential of technology to benefit athletes, coaches, and spectators. As the company explains, Intel processors will power live streaming experiences with 8K resolution, providing fans with low-latency and high-definition broadcasts in the 32 participating sports on this occasion. The company will also provide AI-enabled software solutions to power immersive experiences at Olympic sites throughout the city. Obviously, Intel has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since 2017 and collaborates with the International Olympic Committee to deliver connectivity solutions and experiences for fans. Intel hardware, including its Xeon processors, will be used for live streaming of Olympic events on the Internet. The relay servers will run on Xeon processors, with Intel's AI Deep Learning Boost instruction set architecture that enhances live signals. This allows broadcasting organizations to send 8K streams in a matter of seconds, providing fast live streams with minimal delays. The Geti platform from Intel, which allows users to create computer vision models, was used to train OBS Automatic Highlights Generation, a tool that is being used in the Olympic Games to create packages of highlights moments. The AI automation tool helps television networks intuitively create a compilation of highlights from various sports events that can then be shared with fans through social media. Intel's hardware and software solutions will be combined to offer interactive experiences to fans during the Games, including a feature for fans with Intel technology that will allow them to step into the shoes of an Olympic athlete. The immersive experience will use a combination of AI and computer vision to allow fans to compete in a series of athletics exercises, analyze their performance, and match it with an Olympic sport in which they would excel. Intel's technology will also be used in Paris to assist visually impaired fans. The company used its AI technologies to create 3D models of the headquarters of the US Team, helping visually impaired people navigate through a specially designed smartphone application that provides directions and guidance. The same technology was used to create a voice navigation tool for the headquarters of the International Paralympic Committee in Bonn (Germany).