TechXplore - Season 2

Tech presenter and sports fan Paul Carter goes behind the scenes to see how technology is powering the Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

In the first episode of a three-part series, BBC tech journalist and huge Olympic fan Paul Carter goes behind the scenes to see how technology underpins so much of the Olympics and Paralympics - from the events themselves to the way 'digital twins' of most of the key venues have been created in the virtual world. These simulations allow organisers, broadcasters and athletes to see precisely how these arenas will operate before they are even built, reducing the number of site visits needed to Paris.

With access to major venues and top training facilities, TechXplore gets a sneak peek at the tools developed to streamline the Olympic and Paralympic experience for fans and athletes, including the private 5G networks installed to help capture the opening ceremony and sailing events.

With exclusive access to athletes in the build-up to the games, Paul also visits Norway and the training camp of reigning triathlon champion Kristian Blummenfelt to see how heat tracking sensors are helping him push his body to the limit. And we find out how US Olympic football captain Lindsey Horan is creating a digital twin of her own muscles - using MRI scans and AI to visualise the micro-differences in her body to allow a more purpose-built training regime.

Paul Carter continues his tech journey at the Paris Games, and this time he's exploring how the events in Paris are being experienced by the global audience.

Paul goes behind the scenes at the high-tech international broadcast centre and finds out how AI and the cloud are transforming the global broadcasting experience of the 2024 games. Paris will be the first Olympics where broadcasting over the cloud will overtake that using satellites as a key component in the broadcast infrastructure, with footage transferred via huge data centres to broadcasters around the world. This aims to make the Paris Games far more sustainable, as this new remote-working approach requires fewer production staff on location. Artificial intelligence is also being deployed to help broadcasters and fans to edit and select the best, most relevant footage and highlights for their needs and interests.

Paul visits the Olympic Timekeeping Laboratory in Switzerland to see how AI is being introduced into the judging of key Paris events. He joins an Olympian swimmer in the pool to test out the latest smart goggles, and he tests his skills at an AI talent scouting lab that is looking to find the Olympians of the future. And Paul joins a team looking at footage from the Paris games of 1924, which is now being digitally recoloured using AI to celebrate some Olympic glories from the past.