Like other timed sports, speedskating is decided often by mere fractions of a second. To amplify those photo finishes and minute details that can make or break a skater’s time, Omega has technology at the Olympics in Pyeongchang.
That technology includes a light- and sound-emitting starting gun and a digital lap counter, but most of the trappings will be positioned near the finish line — or on the skaters themselves.
Transponders located on the athletes’ uniforms will beam individual and comparative speed data to Omega’s timekeepers, as well as to arena scoreboards and viewers’ TV sets. The athletes can also use this info after their race to analyze their performance. Positioned along the finish line, signature red photocells fire off a beam of light, ensuring the precise finishing time (measured as the winner’s blade crosses the finish line) and displaying it instantly on scoreboards and television broadcasts.
While the athletes are zipping around the track, Omega Scan ’O Vision MYRIA camera high above the ice in the various speedskating venues will shoot 10,000 images per second to help the timekeepers measure the official finishing positions for every race.
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Speedskating isn’t the only sport Omega is using new technology for; advanced timekeeping and analytical tools are being used in skiing, snowboarding and ice hockey, among other sports.
And Omega is far from the only company showing off innovations in tech in Pyeongchang. Intel is live streaming events in virtual reality, and using LED drones for light shows, while athletes are wearing heated parkas and biometric uniforms.