More than 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones will be used on on 85 athlete vessels for the opening ceremony of Paris 2024.
In about a month, the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place outside of a stadium for the first time ever. Paris 2024 will see 10,500 athletes float down the Seine River in designated boats for each national delegation, in what aims to be the most open and accessible opening ceremony in history.
Departing from the Austerlitz bridge, the iconic parade will follow a six-kilometer route through the centre of Paris, passing some of the official Olympic Games venues before the ceremony’s grand finale at the Trocadéro.
The Samsung smartphones will capture high-definition HDR footage, which will be streamed over an Orange private 5G network, Samsung is the official mobile network provider for Paris 2024. Orange will install over a dozen 5G antennas along the Seine to create France’s first standalone 5G network.
Samsung will also install Galaxy S24 Ultra devices on competition boats for the sailing events in Marseille so fans can view the races from the athletes’ perspectives.
This project required collaboration with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Orange to address challenges related to video quality and connectivity. Measures include using the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), increasing transmission power, and installing relay towers on chase boats.
“This partnership with Samsung allows a unique perspective of Paris 2024, enhancing how fans will experience the Games,” said Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS.
Said Stephanie Choi, EVP & Head of Marketing of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics: “Having been a Worldwide Partner for nearly three decades, we know first-hand how important it is to create and enable the same meaningful connections at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, We’re honored to be working closely with the IOC and OBS to provide high quality footage that will be part of a series of firsts at Paris 2024 and bring fans at home and onsite even closer to the excitement.”
Samsung’s involvement in the Olympic Games dates back to 1998 with the “Call Home” program and has continued with innovations like the Wireless Olympic Works (WOW) app. Over the years, Samsung has provided over 120,000 mobile products to athletes and staff.