Samsung Electronics may lead digitalization of the world’s oldest and foremost international sports competitions.

According to sources on Thursday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recently approached the electronics behemoth to explore mobile and smart applications to the quadrennial event.

Samsung Electronics, a longtime Olympic sponsor, has held working-level meetings with the IOC. The committee’s turn to Samsung Electronics reflects its challenges against waning interest in the international sports competitions.

The talks are in the initial stages but their focus is on employing Samsung Electronics’ advanced digital and mobile technology to add immersive experience to the events. Smartphone streaming of the sports actions and deployment of devices on the scene to produce more sense of reality are among the ideas. Employment of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality solutions also can come under study.

The digital campaign may be applied as early as next year during the summer games in Tokyo.

Samsung Electronics has supported the Olympic Games as worldwide partner since it became a sponsor of 1988 Olympic Games that took place in Korea. The company became the Olympic Partner in 1997 and officially supported wireless communications equipment for the Olympic Winter Games Nagano in 1998. Samsung Electronics last December announced its IOC partnership extension through to 2028.

By Kim Gyu-sik and Minu Kim

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