Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and obviously in sports. The IOC has embraced it by launching a dedicated Olympic agenda in 2024. Already present at the Paris Games, AI will be again at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games. An "enabling tool" now indispensable according to the organization, particularly in terms of storytelling, to support broadcasters, showcase athletes and stimulate public interest.
Making sports more understandable
Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services and Executive Director of Olympic Channel Services, summarizes the benefits of new technologies in three points: empowerment (doing things that were previously impossible), engagement (making the storytelling and coverage of the Games more exciting and captivating), and efficiency (making the Games more sustainable and easier to manage). AI is used in various ways, for example, to generate 360-degree slow-motion replays very quickly. In Paris, our media rights holders really appreciated it; they used these slow-motion clips extensively on air and on social media. "The ability to choose the viewing angle allows, for example, breaking down an acrobatic jump, analyzing it, and appreciating the athlete's technique and precision," explains Exarchos. This makes the sport more understandable and, of course, it makes the athletes' efforts more impressive. »
AI also enhances the viewing experience by generating data. In bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge, AI-powered graphics display athletes' positions in real time, clearly showing who is in the lead and by how much. In alpine skiing, radio exchanges between athletes and coaches are broadcast live for the first time, and AI generates English translations of selected clips, giving viewers a more immersive behind-the-scenes look.
Another sport affected is curling, " an incredibly technical sport, but difficult to fully appreciate " explains Exarchos. Now, data on the stone's speed, trajectory, and direction of rotation are overlaid on the side of the screen. The Olympics are a unique opportunity to reach a wider audience. We must therefore find ways to make these sports very easily and quickly understandable to the general public. »
"Satisfying all consumption patterns"
The automated production of competition summaries, already in place in Paris, is also being improved in Milan. This is extremely useful for large-scale events like the Olympic Games because it allows each broadcaster to personalize the content according to their country, each sport, and each athlete. They can choose the desired length, whether to insert advertising, and so on. In Paris, the system provided 100.000 short highlights. This is partly why the Paris Games had such high visibility. We will be doing this for the first time for the Winter Games. »
Approximately 6.000 hours of content will be produced for these Games. Today, there are so many different platforms, each with its own consumption patterns. We need to allow broadcasters to use all these types of content, which is why we end up producing so much, something that obviously wouldn't have been possible without technology. "Will AI ultimately increase revenue? It certainly appears to be an interesting tool, especially since Winter Games revenue has remained stable since Vancouver 2010."
« The starting point is to ensure that we provide an exceptionally attractive product for all demographic categories and all geographic areas., Exarchos replies to Free Games. In 2024, if the Games have occupied such a central place in everyone's daily life, it is precisely because of the diversity of content, which could be consumed in so many different ways. Even if revenue and its increase are a side effect, our efforts are closely linked to it because we strive to satisfy all possible consumption methods, for all possible audiences. »
