International Olympic Committee : News

Olympic marketing partners: Opportunity knocks for future Games organisers

11/20/2012 2:13:00 PM

That’s a key message the IOC’s Managing Director of Television and Marketing Services, Timo Lumme, would like future organisers of the Olympic Games to take away from the IOC Debriefing of the London 2012 Games in Rio.

“You have to recognise that the partner group offers an unequalled and unique opportunity to do a multitude of things. They provide far more than just financing for the Games: they provide a fantastic amount of experience and know-how, including platforms to leverage and promote the Games,” Lumme said.

A comprehensive debriefing specifically for Olympic marketing partners was held in Rio just prior to the official debrief from 17-21 November to give those in attendance the time to look at all aspects of the partner relationship with organising committees, including services, hospitality, partner and venue operations, and others.

“The word partnership is important,” Lumme added. “The partners are clients but they are also facilitators and activators of the Games vision. So the notion of debriefing and educating, if you like, is to make future organisers understand the strategic importance of having both a revenue programme and leveraging marketing partners to fulfil their overall Games vision in many, many different ways.”

The IOC marketing team began transferring the knowledge they and their stakeholders gleaned from London 2012 shortly after the Olympic cauldron was extinguished on 12 August. The official debriefing this week, Lumme said, allows his team to pass along these messages in a broader way to more people.

“And one of those messages is: The more you integrate them, the more you can benefit from the various things that they can bring. They have a wealth of experience and they are willing to put resources behind that. Paramount to staging a successful Games is figuring out how to maximise the partner relationship.”

Panasonic delivers first-ever live 3D Olympic Games

8/10/2012 8:00:00 AM

Working in partnership with the IOC and the Olympic Broadcasting Service, a total of 200 hours of 3D coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games will be produced, allowing audiences around the globe to witness the world’s greatest sporting event in immersive 3D.

On site at the Olympic Park, Panasonic’s Full HD 3D Theatre has also offered fans and athletes alike the chance to experience the Games as if they were inside the stadiums.

Panasonic has been an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Video Equipment Category for more than 20 years, providing the Olympic Games with state-of-the-art digital audio/video equipment, such as flat screen TVs, digital video cameras, DVD recorders, and professional audio/video equipment.

Panasonic’s technology plays a vital role in delivering the sights, sounds and unique excitement of the Olympic Games, from the field of play to the spectators through its large on-site video screens and professional audio systems, and to people around the world through broadcasting with its digital broadcast equipment.

For more information check out the London 2012 Media Guide here.

A Winning Partnership: Worldwide Olympic Partners play an integral role during London 2012

8/10/2012 8:00:00 AM

According to IOC President Jacques Rogge, the importance of the 11 global companies who make up The Olympic Partners (TOP) programme - Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, DOW, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, P&G, Samsung, Visa - cannot be underestimated.

“Without the support of the business community, without its technology, expertise, people, services, products, telecommunications, its financing – the Olympic Games could not and cannot happen,” says Rogge. “Without this support, the athletes cannot compete and achieve their very best in the world’s greatest sporting event.”

The TOP programme was introduced in 1985 and has since provided a major source of revenue for the Olympic Movement. This income is distributed directly to each of the 204 National Olympic Committees around the world, who use it to develop and support their athletes, enabling them to send a team to the Games. The programme has proven essential to the IOC’s vision of “universality” with athletes competing at the Olympic Games from around the world.

But the TOP programme is about more than just money. The Worldwide Olympic Partners also play an integral role in the actual staging of the Games themselves, contributing products, services and expertise. It is this operational support that makes the Partners so valuable to the Games, and the Olympic Movement as a whole, according to Gerhard Heiberg, Chairman of the IOC Marketing Commission.

“Without our sponsors, the Olympic Games would not be what they are today,” he says. “The Partners’ support allows more athletes from more countries to compete in the Games, and they deliver the services and resources that are the driving force of the Olympic Movement.”

Unlike other sports sponsorship agreements, the Partners are not able to advertise their association in the Olympic stadia due to the IOC’s “clean venue” policy, which ensures that no corporate branding is visible during the Games. The Partners must therefore come up with innovative ways to leverage their association with the Games, which Timo Lumme, Managing Director of IOC Television & Marketing Services, believes is one of the reasons that makes Olympic sponsorship so valued.

“The sheer variety and creativity of the initiatives employed by our partners is staggering,” he says. “You can’t be an Olympic sponsor by being passive. It is always a dynamic process and that dynamism has kept the Games on the leading edge of marketing.”

As the start of the Games draws closer, one thing is clear – London 2012 will demonstrate once again the importance of the Worldwide Olympic Partners.

For more information on the 11 Worldwide Olympic Partners please read the Media Guide here.

Atos brings faster results to fans, athletes and media at the London 2012 Olympic Games

8/8/2012 8:00:00 AM

For this summer’s Games, Atos will integrate, manage and secure the vast IT system that relays results, events and athlete information to spectators and media around the world.
Results and information will be delivered via two innovative systems:

myInfo+ – This will be available for the first time at London 2012. The new internet application enables accredited media, sports officials and athletes to access information such as schedules, transport news and sports records.

Commentator Information System (CIS) – For the first time ever at the Summer Games, all 26 Olympic sports have been added to the Commentator Information System (CIS). Managed centrally from the Technology Operations Centre, the CIS provides commentators and journalists with touch-screen technology that gives results in real time.

For the London Games, Atos expects to process 30% more results data than in Beijing, ensuring the world’s media meets the increasing demand of fans for information as it happens.
The company became a Worldwide Olympic Partner when it joined the TOP Programme as SchlumbergerSema in 2001.

For more information check out the London 2012 Media Guide here.

Dow provides sustainable solutions for London 2012 that make a difference

8/8/2012 8:46:00 AM

Dow has provided key sustainable science and chemistry- based solutions to assist in the planning, building and legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

As well as producing a sustainable, fabric “wrap” that will encircle London’s iconic Olympic Stadium, Dow solutions are making a difference in several diverse areas. Solutions include moisture-resistance roofing for the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Village, the Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre; a softer and more sustainable pitch for field hockey; components for more efficient wire and cabling for reliable transmission and distribution of signals during the Games; and a durable, slip-resistance surface at Eton Manor Sports Complex to improve safety for athletes.

Dow has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since 2010. The company started working on Olympic Games projects in 1980 when providing insulation that was used in ice skating rinks and bobsled runs at the Lake Placid Winter Games. From helping to reduce energy usage and CO2 emissions in Olympic venues, to developing improved playing surfaces for athletes, Dow provides specialty products that highlight the important role chemistry plays in sports and everyday life.

For more information check out the London 2012 Media Guide here.

Acer delivers laptops to schools as part of London 2012 legacy programme

8/7/2012 10:12:00 AM

Selected primary schools in the host boroughs including Barking & Dagenham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich and Waltham Forest have ordered laptops, branded with a special London 2012 Olympic Games Badge, for every child in a selected year group. Each laptop with come with a one-year warranty and will cost a fraction of its original price. A small number will also go to the Children’s Hospital School at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The laptops will have been used by the workforce running the 2012 Games to support various operations such as Games management, competition scores, reception, information queries, broadcaster support, media centres and the itinerary for each athlete.

The “Laptops for Schools” initiative has been granted the Inspire mark by the London 2012 Inspire programme. The London 2012 Inspire programme recognises innovative and exceptional projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic Games.

To support the London 2012 Olympic Games, Acer has mobilised 350 staff members. The equipment provided comprises 13,500 desktops, 2,900 notebooks, 950 servers and storage systems and a number of tablet PCs. These resources will run the entire information system for the event.

For more information check out the London 2012 Media Guide here.

Olympic pin trading a growing sport among spectators

8/5/2012 8:30:00 AM

An official range of Olympic pin badges are created for each Games, and the latest batch covers themes such as the various sporting disciplines of the Olympic Games, the London 2012 logo, Team GB, British landmarks and heritage and official mascots Wenlock and Mandeville.

Not only are these pins an affordable souvenir for fans all around the world, the act of trading also helps to bridge cultures by forging connections between people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds.

The trading of pins first began in the 1980s and involves enthusiasts meeting up in a bid to hunt out unique or unusual versions of these collectibles – and then convincing the owner to swap. The most popular meetings are The Coca Cola Official Olympic Games Pin Trading Centres, which were first held at Calgary 1988 where they drew a crowd of more than 17,000 enthusiasts each day.

During London 2012, collectors of all ages and pin trading experience have been meeting across the capital. One collector, Doug Kaplan, has been trading pins ever since Los Angeles 1984 and has gathered a vast number of Olympic pins in that time. He said: “I have probably a couple of thousand (pins). I have beach towels from each Olympics with the logo on them and then I fill it up with my pins from that Games and other Games, so all my walls at home are covered with these beach blankets full of pins.”

New badges are released on each day of the Games, visit www.London2012.com for more details.

Visa offers fans chance to win London 2012 Olympic Games tickets every day

7/31/2012 8:00:00 AM

Consumers can visit the Visa Golden Space website to enter the competition and will automatically be put forward for the prize draw as soon as they use their Visa card to pay. The promotion began on 2 July and will continue to 12 August. As well as Olympic tickets, the daily giveaway also includes prepaid Visa cards worth £250.

In addition to promotions, the Visa Golden Space also features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the shooting of its television commercial featuring Visa Europe’s innovation Ambassador Usain Bolt and information on Team Visa athletes.

Team Visa consists of 69 individual athletes, along with national teams from more than 30 countries including the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, United Kingdom, South Africa and Russia. Since 1986, Visa has empowered more than 1,000 Olympic hopefuls to achieve their dreams by providing financial support and valuable marketing exposure in pursuit of their Olympic goals.

Visa has been a sponsor of the Olympic Games for more than 25 years and is the only payment card accepted at the London 2012 Olympic Games. During London 2012, Visa will provide around 3,200 contactless enabled point-of-sale devices in merchant locations in Olympic Games venues as well as eight ATMs within the Games footprint. Visa will remain the exclusive payment services sponsor and the only card accepted at the Olympic Games through 2020.

For more information check out the London 2012 Media Guide here.

GE innovation to benefit future generations after the London 2012 Olympic Games

7/30/2012 8:00:00 AM

There will be GE equipment in all sporting and non-sporting venues at London 2012, including the Olympic Village. GE will provide power, heating and cooling systems across the Park for the Games and for the new buildings and communities that will develop after 2012. GE is also working with the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL), in association with LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games), and with fellow London 2012 sustainability partners, to install 120 GE charge points that will support a fleet of zero-emission electric vehicles set to be used during the London 2012 Games. These points will then provide a post-Games legacy for London.

GE is also equipping the Polyclinic in the Olympic Village, where athletes will have access to best-in-class digital imaging including MRI, CT, X-Ray and Ultrasound. The Polyclinic will provide an additional healthcare facility for the local community after the Games.

GE’s Olympic Games partnership was launched in January 2005, and an extension to the partnership was announced in July 2011, taking it through to 2020, including the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games and the 2020 Olympic Games.

For more information check out the London 2012 Media Guide here.

A Window for the World: London 2012 Olympic Games to set broadcasting milestone

7/29/2012 1:46:00 PM

Now, 64 years on, the Games are returning to the British capital – and Olympic broadcasting has developed into a global phenomenon. In contrast to the half a million viewers in 1948, London 2012 will have an estimated potential audience of 4.8 billion people in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. This monumental figure highlights just how far Olympic broadcasting has come – and how important it is to the worldwide growth of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement.

“Our primary broadcasting objective has always been to ensure that as many viewers as possible are able to experience the Games,” explains Timo Lumme, the Managing Director of IOC Television & Marketing Services. “With that in mind, coverage of each Games has been made available to an increasing number of countries and territories around the world.”

Ensuring the future viability of the Games

In addition to communicating the Games and the Olympic values around the world, broadcast rights agreements with Rights Holding Broadcasters (RHBs) have also provided the Olympic Movement with a secure financial base, helping to ensure the future viability of the Games themselves and providing the single greatest source of revenue for the Olympic Movement over the last three decades.

As well as television and radio coverage, broadcast rights agreements now also include digital coverage, which is playing an increasingly important role in the Olympic broadcast, helping to spread the Games and the Olympic values even further.

A record-breaking coverage

With digital coverage set to increase once again, the London 2012 Games look set to easily surpass the record 61,700 hours of broadcast coverage that was made available globally during Beijing 2008. In the host country, for instance, the BBC is launching 24 new HD Olympic television streams so that viewers can watch every minute of every event live via their digital TVs – a total output of approximately 2,500 hours.

All this record-breaking coverage will be produced by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), a wholly owned subsidiary of the IOC, which will be acting as the sole Host Broadcaster for the first time at a Summer Games, following its joint venture with the Beijing 2008 Organising Committee four years ago. Manolo Romero, CEO of OBS, is proud that the organisation has been able to spread coverage of the Games even further than ever before.

“The fact that more and more countries are able to enjoy watching the Olympic Games and the excitement, drama and good feelings they produce, proves not only that the Olympic Movement itself continues to grow, but also that OBS is successfully capturing the unique atmosphere of the venues and the host city,” he says.

The first Olympic Games to be broadcast live in 3D

As well as giving more viewers the chance to enjoy the Games, OBS is also leading the way when it comes to broadcast innovations. Thanks to the use of 33 True 3D cameras, London 2012 will also be the first Olympic Games to be broadcast live in 3D, bringing the greatest show on Earth into viewers’ homes in a way that has never been seen before. The immersive 3D coverage will include both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as athletics, gymnastics, swimming and diving events. In total, more than 230 hours of 3D coverage will be made available to RHBs.

In addition to live 3D coverage, OBS will also expand its commitment to High Super Slow Motion (HSSM) from Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 by utilising more than 40 HSSM cameras to provide stunning replays that will show more detail than ever before. OBS also plans to implement a number of innovative camera systems as part of its overall production plan, utilising a number of different technologies to enhance viewers’ understanding of the Olympic sports. These include point-of-view cameras for several events and wire-cams suspended 100 metres above the rowing venue at Eton Dorney.

In another innovative move, OBS – in partnership with UK host broadcaster BBC and Japanese national broadcaster NHK – will film part of the 2012 Games in Super Hi-Vision, which is predicted to be the next format of television. Offering 16 times the quality of HD and an unmatched audio experience, Super Hi-Vision provides a crystal-clear wide camera angle shot that gives the audience the experience of actually being at an event. This exciting new format will be trialled during the Games, with coverage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies being broadcast live to four specially commissioned Super Hi-Vision cinema screens in the UK.