Intel Corporation announced today that it will be joining hands with the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympics Games, the International Olympics Committee (IOC), and other partners in technology collaborations for the 2020 Olympic Games (also known as the Tokyo 2020 Games) that are scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan, next year.
Regarding the collaboration, the Managing Director of the IOC Television and Marketing Services, Timo Lumme commented that the committee was looking forward to providing the best experience and technologies the Olympic fans both attending the event in Tokyo and those tuning in from around the world:
While Rick Echevarria, the General Manager of Intel’s Olympics Program remarked on the collaboration:
"Intel is focused on delivering world-class technology integrations at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to improve the experience for athletes, attendees, viewers and Games staff while also demonstrating how technology can transform businesses. We are excited to make the first of a series of announcements about our role in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games."
The Vice Director General of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games, Masaaki Komiya, added:
"We’re excited to be partnering with Intel to make Tokyo 2020 the most innovative Olympics in history. Working together with Olympic partners like Intel will be how the Olympic Games is ushered into the new age of technology and innovation."
Intel previously collaborated with the International Olympics Committee for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang. With the partnership for the 2020 Olympic Games, Intel and the partners aim to leverage technologies like 5G, artificial intelligence, and immersive esports. All these technologies are being branded by the Intel under the blanket terms of Compute, Connect, and Experience.
For Compute, Intel has announced two main technologies. First, 3D Athlete Tracking (3DAT) and the second, VR Training. The former uses computer vision algorithms and a repertoire of highly advanced cameras connected to the Intel-based data centers to capture and analyze the form and biomechanics of the athletes' movements. This data will be broadcast to the viewers during the replays of the 100-meter race. With VR Training, the IOC will host immersive and interactive sessions for the organizing committee at the venue to ensure that its members are operationally ready after obtaining accurate feedback from the system.
For Connect, Intel is aspiring to bring with a 5G-based platform, gigabit connectivity, immersive viewership experience, smart-city applications, and more to the world of Olympics. Intel will be working hand in hand with the renowned networking hardware company and local official partner for the networking equipment, Cisco, to connect together the 42 competition venues, the athletes’ village, the TOCOG headquarters, broadcasting set-ups, hotels, and other locations.
With Experience, Intel along with its AI solutions and Tokyo Organizing Committee will create the official theme song for the Olympic Games, and an esports event that will be held prior to the actual event. More on the esports event later. Intel is also bringing NeoFace, which is NEC's Facial Recognition System that will provide security on the venues at its entry-points. Alongside this, Intel True VR will bring a virtual-reality live broadcast for the Olympics for the first time ever for sports like beach volleyball, boxing, gymnastics, and others. Intel's expertise in artificial intelligence was also used to create the #2020Beat, which will be incorporated with live theater sites to enhance the audience's cheers for the athletes on the ground.
As mentioned before, the Intel esports tournament, the Intel World Open esports tournament, will be held in Tokyo from July 22-24, 2020, and will include famous titles like Rocket League and Street Fighter V, building up to the official Tokyo 2020 Games.
For more details and specifics about the technologies announced, you can read the post here.
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