Will an overdose of tech and AI dampen the human spirit of the Olympics?

Unlike his competitors, Dikec eschewed any specialised equipment – such as noise-cancelling ear protectors, special lenses to enhance precision and prevent blurring, or even a hat. Yet, he and his teammate won silver, and took social media by storm.

“SWAG. This man just explained the meaning of the term to us, “Anand Mahindra wrote in a post with Dikec’s photo. He is, to be sure, a national record holder in various pistol events. Simply put, he knows how to shoot and does not need the help of advanced technology. He embodies the spirit in which athletes competed when these games began in ancient Greece almost 2,800 years ago, and even during the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens.

To be sure, even games in ancient Greece were harnessed the best technology of the time. As technology evolved, we began seeing its long-effect on athletes’ performance in the form of tumbling records. Incidentally, athletes in motion were first studied by French scientist Étienne-Jules Marey back in 1900.

Hey NASA, make me a swimsuit

During the Beijing 2008 Olympics, 44 of the 48 athletes who broke world records (including US swimmer Michael Phelps) wore the LZR Racer – a swimsuit developed by UK-based Speedo. The swimwear was ultrasonically welded with the help of NASA scientists, meaning it had no seams and thus reduced drag.

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The Australian cycling team used bicycles that were tested in wind tunnels (similar to those used to design aircraft), to develop an optimally aerodynamic carbon frame and reduce drag. At the 2012 Olympics, technology usually associated with Formula One made cyclists faster, composite materials helped pole-vaulters leap higher, and 3D mapping made swimmers more hydrodynamic, according to the UK-based Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IME).

Biomedical engineering caused sporting controversy in the case of Oscar Pistorius (dubbed the ‘Blade Runner’), the South African Paralympian who competed in the 2008 Olympics. His successful application caused some to claim that Pistorius’s Flex-Foot Cheetah prosthetic leg gave him an advantage over able-bodied athletes – allegations that were swiftly rejected by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

At the London Paralympic Games in 2012, Pistorius achieved a historic milestone by clinching gold medals in the men’s 400 metres and 4×100 metres relay. His athletic career, though, ended the following year when he was imprisoned for killing his girlfriend. He was released on parole this January.

The AI Olympics

On 19 April the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released an 18-page Olympic AI Agenda. The document explores what AI can deliver and how the committee should promote its responsible use. In the words of Thomas Bach, IOC president, human beings are “at the centre of the Olympic AI Agenda” and “…we in sport are not confronted with the existential question of whether AI will replace human beings”. “The 100 metres will always have to be run by an athlete – a human being. Therefore, we can concentrate on the potential of AI to support the athletes,” he added.

“The 100 metres will always have to be run by an athlete – a human being. Therefore, we can concentrate on the potential of AI to support the athletes”

AI is being used in the ongoing Olympic Games to protect athletes from online abuse, enhance broadcast experiences with multi-format and multi-language highlight videos, monitor energy consumption in real time, and discover new ways to identify talent. IOC officials believe these innovations, alongside contributions from partners such as Intel, Atos and Alibaba, will show the way to future editions of the Olympics.

According to Ilario Corna, the IOC’s chief technology officer, AI has been monitoring hundreds of thousands of social media accounts and flagging abusive messages sent to athletes. The IOC is also working with Intel to use digital twinning — the process of creating digital representations of venues to foresee power needs and camera placements, and improve accessibility. The IOC is also collaborating with Atos and 15 other technology partners to make the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics digital, connected and secure.

Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) for its part is using AI in partnership with Alibaba to implement multi-camera replay systems with high-quality, AI-powered reconstructions. This technology creates 3D models and additional replays from various camera angles.

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The IOC is working with Omega, the official timekeeper of the Games, to use AI for faster and more insightful data, such as intelligent stroboscopic analysis in diving, athletics and artistic gymnastics, helping viewers better understand athletes’ movements and biomechanics. A stroboscope is an instrument that’s used to make a cyclically moving object appear to be slow-moving, or even stationary, using rapidly flashing lights.

AI is also being used to generate enhanced graphics, providing better insights on each athlete’s performance. AI-based motion-tracking technology, meanwhile, is helping commentators and viewers keep track of athletes’ positions during the various events, including the canoe sprint, marathon, race walks, cycling events, rowing, sailing and triathlon.

How much is too much?

Technology, especially AI, gives athletes a distinct advantage over their predecessors. It’s also helping to reduce if not eliminate human error. At the 1968 Olympics, for instance, the introduction of a touchpad at the end of each lane for swimmers to stop the clock eliminated timing errors. Pressure sensors in starting blocks can now detect false starts of even 0.1 seconds.

Swimmers reduce drag with cutting-edge Speedo swimsuits, while runners, jumpers, and footballers look for an edge with Nike’s AI-generated sneakers or Adidas’s F50+ football shoes. Today’s pole vault sticks and javelins are made of super-light carbon fibre. Modern headgear better protects boxers from permanent harm, while shooting jackets, pants, shoes and gloves minimise the effect of body movement on the gun.

Also read: The 1924 Paris Olympics was a turning point in the history of the games

But every so often a shooter like Dikec comes along, showing the world that a talented human can still win an Olympic medal without much tech. The social media frenzy around him is a celebration of this raw human skill that transcends technology.