Worldwide partner Alibaba contributes to Olympic movement’s digital makeover in Tokyo

Worldwide Olympic Partner Alibaba is contributing to the Olympic Movement’s digital makeover on multiple fronts through the Cloud and other tech to help with athletes’ performance or staff safety.

The company also delivered a new tech-infused twist on the traditions of Olympic pin trading underway during Tokyo 2020.

Each initiative is an extension of Alibaba’s designation as official cloud technology and e-commerce services partner for the International Olympic Committee.

Both directly and indirectly, every one of the billions of television viewers of the Games is benefiting from Alibaba enabling transmission of more than 9,000 broadcast hours of video shared via the Cloud.

In corporate interviews published online, Alibaba Group Chief Marketing Officer Chris Tung shared how the company is helping the IOC, Tokyo 2020 and all of their Olympic broadcasting stakeholders.

“One of our major initiatives for Tokyo 2020 [was] the expansion of the Olympic Broadcasting Services Cloud,” said Tung. “By leveraging our Alibaba Cloud’s best-in-class technology, OBS Cloud help[ed] transform the media experience by introducing a more powerful and efficient way for rights-holding broadcasters to create and distribute content around the Games – with fewer staff and equipment required onsite.”

According to Alibaba, during Tokyo 2020 the use of cutting-edge technology is set to scale the event’s reach and accessibility for global audiences in what will be the most innovative Games yet. Cloud-based technologies enabled rights-holding broadcasters to carry out a significant part of their jobs remotely. With fewer staff and equipment needed on site in Japan, OBS and partner/rights-holding broadcasters reduced costs and efficiently retrieved, created and distributed coverage in real-time.

As a result, the International Broadcast Center in Tokyo is approximately 30% smaller than its predecessor at Rio 2016, with 27% fewer broadcasters present, a timely benefit underscored by international travel restrictions to Japan in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The OBS Cloud for Tokyo 2020 launched in 2018 and enjoyed an extra year of refinements during the pandemic.

“The partnership with Alibaba Cloud is transforming how we broadcast the Olympic Games to the widest possible audience,” said Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS. “This is perhaps the biggest technological change in the broadcasting industry for more than half a century since the introduction of satellite transmission … introduced to Olympic broadcast coverage for the first time at Tokyo 1964.”

Leveraging Alibaba technologies, Content+, OBS’ content delivery platform is now fully migrated to the cloud for delivering short-form content, content asset management and content production, according to Alibaba.

Tung said Alibaba is working with fellow members of The Olympic Partner program to be able to bring more transformation to the table. Some initiatives also aim to help athletes or staff in the field of play.

“We’ve partnered with Intel, for example, to host the first-ever artificial intelligence-powered 3D Athlete Tracking Technology via Alibaba Cloud,” said Tung. “It uses AI to analyze videos of athletes and generate 3D models of them, which can help to improve their training, as well as provide more interactive broadcasting features for audiences.”

For instance, coverage of one of the fastest races in the Games – the 100 meter sprint – will benefit from AI-based, near real-time insights and overlay visualizations available to broadcasters during the competition.

The 3D Athlete Tracking also generates insights to make athlete training more efficient. Cameras capture the race and algorithms analyze runner biomechanics, generating data in replays of the sprint events on the track.

On July 21, Alibaba introduced a new cloud-based solution to help reduce the risk of heatstroke for Tokyo 2020 staff. Small enough to be worn in the ear, a device collects heart rate and body temperature data, juxtaposing it with factors of the environmental index – such as humidity, sunlight or venue temperatures – computing and transmitting a risk assessment through cloud-based technology to an app. Alerts are sent to those at risk with suggestions for reducing heatstroke, such as drinking more fluids. The system is tethered to Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) meters in place at 14 Olympic venues.

“The technology is used for WBGT measurement at the venue and the monitoring and prediction of the heat stroke risks for the staff,” said Hidemasa Nakamura, Tokyo 2020 chief of the Main Operations Centre, in a statement. “By working with Alibaba together with our other Worldwide Olympic partners, the organizing committee is determined to provide a safe tournament environment.”

The pandemic also accelerated another move to the digital space for the popular hobby of Olympic pin collecting. Just before Tokyo 2020′s opening ceremony, Alibaba introduced a cloud-based digital pin for working media at the IBC and MPC, designed to enable the pin bearer to exchange contact information with fellow pin collectors by simply tapping the pins at arm’s length.

With the dimensions and shape of a candy peanut butter cup, Alibaba’s digital Olympic pins feature an LED screen in a durable plastic shell. The pin bearer is encouraged to create a digital pin profile with their name and other details. Collectors can then tap their pin with other digital pin owners for a touchless exchange of contact information, with the traded digital profiles stored for later reference in an app.

The pins may be affixed to fabric for display on one’s shirt, accreditation lanyard or handbag. Technology embedded in the pins also functions as a step counter to measure distances walked by the pin player.

The intuitive pin technology is demonstrated in a launch video and promo video delivered to Olympic media in Tokyo.

“We hope to leverage Alibaba’s technology to accelerate digital transformation across the Olympic Games to benefit all stakeholders, from organizers, broadcasters, partners, and most importantly fans and athletes,” said Tung.

Alibaba’s 12-year commitment as Worldwide Olympic Partner continues through Los Angeles 2028.

This article is presented in partnership with Alibaba.