Meeting President Emmanuel Macron

It was the best of selfies, it was the worst of selfies. 

Presidential ones, that is. 

On Monday (22 July), French President Emmanuel Macron joined IOC President Thomas Bach in welcoming over 200 international (non-French) journalists to Palais de l'Élysée, akin to The White House on this side of the Atlantic. 

With thanks to Jill Jaracz of Keep The Flame Alive podcast, who posted to Instagram a photo of her arrival at said palace about an hour before the event (just in the nick of time), I was reminded, "Oh, that's today" (!!!) while seated in boxer shorts at my hotel, prompting a rush to get dressed and make way to the venue. 

The official invitation from Macron's staff went out last week to journalists of Paris Media Centre, the "unaccredited media center" for this Olympiad. Though my badge is still in review, my AIPS press card and a passport were enough to register. And after a short metro ride and four layers of security, we were inside the Elysee awaiting Macron's arrival. 

As reporters mingled, I caught up with USA Today's Christine Brennan, longtime friends Ed and Sheila Hula (founders of Around The Rings) and reporters from the Team USA Media Summit in town from the LA Times, Sports Business Journal, NBC and others. 

It was fun to swap pins with the press lead from Team Ukraine, a TV reporter from New Zealand's Sky network, and several Korean and Japanese reporters more obviously in the pin game.  

Around many corners of the ballroom in which we gathered (reminiscent of the East Wing dance hall in Washington), meters-long tables of gourmet coffees, French wine, exotic local cheeses, Olympic-tailored bread and a smorgasbord of meats and fresh fruit from across the nation were assembled by toque-donning chefs. 

And voila! Macron arrived accompanied by a military symphony and Bach as well as Paris 2024's CEO, speaking for several minutes about the shared journey to the eve of the XXXIIIth Olympiad. Here are some President Macron's remarks:

Remarks complete, Bach made a beeline for the sortie, briefly stopping to shake hands and chat with Brennan and moi (I asked the wherabouts of one of my clients to which Bach replied with surprise). 

Meanwhile, Macron -- much to the delight of the attendees -- stayed in the ballroom, working the crowd answering softball questions, posing for selfies and introducing the First Lady to a few VIPs.

By the time the impromptu receiving line reached my spot, we were in the garden and Keep The Flame Alive podcaster Jill and I swapped photo duties to capture the moment (thank goodness as my own selfie attempt was marred by the wind).

Shaking hands with President Macron -- whose grip is quite strong and confident -- I first thanked him for his team's marvelous hospitality, complimented his remarks and wished all of France great success with what is already turning out to be among the best Games ever. 

"Merci beaucoup!" 

This next part surprised me in that when another journalist interrupted the end of our handshake, Macron did not let go of my hand for about 20 seconds, insisting it was first my turn to finish the conversation and photo. 

Point, smile (or in my case keep talking), snap and the moment was complete, leaving Jill and I time to finally enjoy some drinks and catering in the garden, cheerfully toasting "To all the bullshit!" that got us to Paris.

Exiting the French palace, I snapped one last photo of what may be a presidential Citroen. So fancy! Nice touch.

Meeting Macron was definitely more personal than interactions with V.P. and candidate-turned-President Biden or Vladimir Putin, in 2010 and 2014, respectively. 

What will happen next?

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver

Unsolicited Suggestions for New Olympic Traditions

A letter dated May 25, 2024, went out via U.S. Mail addressed to Maison Olympique in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

Here's a slightly redacted version, posted to see what may resonate. 

Reader feedback via the comments at the base of the post will be greatly appreciated. 

To: Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee President

From: Nicholas Wolaver, Editor of Olympic Rings And Other Things

RE: Unsolicited Suggestions for an Olympic Opening Ceremony Tradition

President Bach: Greetings from Atlanta. Though your schedule and priorities perhaps enabled the memories to slip, we met on two occasions during and between Olympiads, first at the Coca-Cola Pin Trading area of Russia House in Sochi (at a ceremonial Winter Games pin exchange) then again at Rockefeller Center when the IOC and Intel announced their worldwide partnership in 2017.

At this latter meeting you were kind enough to offer encouragement for a longtime research project through a lifetime membership of International Society of Olympic Historians. 

As a witness to the IOC's and your progress, both through media coverage and from conversations with two of our mutual acquaintances, I am aware of your general desire to pass the torch to future successors with the IOC on solid footing and some fresh or refreshed traditions. With this IOC presidential legacy in mind, I am writing to suggest an idea for the Opening Ceremonies that could establish a new tradition while solving a longtime challenge.

The challenge is finding a way to memorialize Olympic Family members who were lost due to tragedy, war or upheaval, or natural causes. With varying degrees of success, the IOC and Olympic host city organizers created one-time fixes, such as moments of silence for the Munich '72 families or those who perished in the London bombings only hours after that city won the 2012 Olympic bid. 

Though it is possible and likely others suggested similar ideas, what follows is my version of a solution: Create a permanent "in memoriam" segment during the Olympic opening ceremony combined with a toast to Olympians past, present and future. 

Here are details in support of this suggestion:

• The Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and other global ceremonies each including "in tribute" or "in memoriam" segments of their live broadcasts. The popular segments are intentionally brief with highlights spanning the past year of losses for the organization's membership, award winners and influencers. Through a highlight reel during the opening ceremony, the Olympic Family could pay tribute to a partial list of Olympians or contributors lost since the most recent previous Olympiad and/or icons for all time. 

• As with the Grammy, Oscar and other events, the highlights need not be comprehensive as an expanded version of the "in memoriam" tradition could live online, in social media or elsewhere, inspiring conversations and tributes to those lost (with a broader audience beyond the opening ceremony telecast viewers).

• 
  Various cultures worldwide celebrate those who were lost with a memorial toast at special celebrations. In my native USA, a family Thanksgiving holiday meal may include a toast in remembrance to those lost during the previous year followed by a toast to everyone's health or victory in a struggle.

• The IOC's version of a toast could mark a transition in the opening ceremony just after the athlete and official oaths but before the arrival of the torchbearers to light the cauldron.

• Possible remarks from a designated/invited VIP presenter could speak with a traditional toast: "Please join the world in a moment of silence as we reflect on Olympic Family members lost along the journey to tonight's celebration" (after 15 seconds of silence, roll tribute footage compiled to include nods to Munich '72 and other Olympic Family members with memorial music).

• 
  Historic Olympic toasts include modern Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin offering a toast on 23 June 1894, the final night of the first Olympic Congress in Paris: "I lift my glass to the Olympic idea, which has traversed the mists of the ages like an all-powerful ray of sunshine and returned to illuminate ... a dream of joyous hope."

• Whether viewed in the stadium or on live streaming or televised broadcasts with official host TV networks, the globally universal themes of "good luck" or "to your health" -- as assembled in the world's languages listed [below] just after my signature of this letter -- could appear upon the screen, inspiring audiences at hope to make their own toasts to goodwill. Through translation of the phrases pasted below, you will find commonality or overlap with Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together.

• With Worldwide partners AB InBev and Coca-Cola, all could ceremonially "raise a beverage" for the toast.

• With a seemingly endless parade of increasingly tragic world events from the pandemic to armed conflict, natural disasters to the misdeeds of doping, the toast/memorial segment could support the underlying message of "we're all in this together" and "we're more alike than we may realize" or "we're all human."

My guess is that your team already found creative answers to the recurring challenge of commemoration. Additionally, my hope is the suggestion outlined above may express support for answers already devised or contribute a voice in the spirit of finding a solution to "the memorial problem."

I look forward to future opportunities to informally meet, compare notes on Olympic history/future, and to trade pins. Please enjoy the enclosed as an addition to your collection, with my compliments. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely, 

Nicholas Wolaver, Editor

Olympic Rings And Other Things

Ceremonial Toasts In Any Language

अच्छी सेहत • Bersulang • به سلامتی • Будем! • Brindem • Будзьма! • Будьмо • ชัยโย • Chang hala • Cheers! •   乾杯 • Chin-chin • cul sec • Dô  dzô • Egészségünkre • Εβίβα • Fenékig • გაუმარჯოს! • 건배 • Gesondheid • Gëzuar • Կենացդ • Наздраве • 予焦啦 • Hölökyn kölökyn • Εις υγείαν • I sveikata • Jam e Sehat • Je via sano! • Kampay • 乾杯 • kippis • lechyd da • Le’tanachin • לחיים • Mabuhay • Mayri ora • หมดแก้ว • 請請 • На здравје • Nazdravlje • Noroc • Pohjanmaan kautta • Priekā • Proscht • proosit • Proost • Prost • بصحتك Saħħa ¡Salucita! • Salud • Salut! • Salut i peles! • Sănătate • santé • Saúde • Serefe • skool • Hirup • Skål • skál • Sláinte mhath • Tagay • "तरङ्ग • Tchim-tchim • Terviseks • Tjeers • Tjorts • Topa! • Uzdravlje • vives • Ваше здоровье! • Wasze zdrowie • 飲勝 • Yam seng • Yeghes da! • Xin-xin • За здоров'я • Živjeli • Zum wohl

Top image via Architectes.ch. Image of Phoenix rising from London 2012 Olympic cauldron by Ursula Petula Barzey via GuideLondon.org.uk. Photo of Glenn Close introducing the 2014 Oscar memorial tribute by John Shearer/Associated Press via WSJ.com. Vangelis image via this YouTube post. Coubertin wine bottle via Ebay. Last of the 2010 blogger pins photo by Nicholas Wolaver. Ceramics by Lorrie Wolaver. 

Citius Altius Fortius ... Simultaneous

The Olympic Motto Citius Altius Fortius always had a nice ring to it.  I like Friday night's addition: Simultaneous.

Faster Higher Stronger Together was just one of several takeaways inspiring reflection since Tokyo's moving if muted Olympic opening ceremony. 

Like most of the world sidelined by the pandemic-enforced spectator ban, my "attendance" this time was via home viewing both through NBC's live morning broadcast and the heavily-editing evening rerun. 

There are many elements of the ceremony this five-ring-inspired writer loved (in no particular order):

• Olympic rings constructed of wood harvested from trees planted when athletes of the Tokyo 1964 Olympics brought seeds to the Games 57 years ago. The portable "Olympic Village" structures also provided a great surface for tap dancing

• 
  An original and marvelously elaborate dress by fashion designer Tomo Koizumi worn during the Japan national anthem performance by Misia, a nod to LGBQT inclusion (see photo below)

• Olympic drones -- more than 1,800 of them -- provided by Intel as announced in their June 2017 Worldwide Partnership press event. Loved what they achieved over Tokyo Olympic Stadium (a giant leap from the weather-sidelined debut in PyeongChang)

• Minimally-intrusive narration and commentary by NBC hosts Savannah Guthrie and Mike Tirico (this was my first time watching a live opening on TV since 1992, and they did a great job sharing facts while knowing when to let moments unfurl on their own)

• Kinetic pictograms from Tokyo 1964 to the brilliant live performance of their 2020 edition

• Another innovative and original Olympic cauldron design (see video at base of this post)

• 
  Jazz-scored comedic video of a control room operator illuminating Tokyo Olympic venues before casting a spotlight on live performers including a knockout piano solo by Hiromi Uehara

• Parade of nations camera work that generally placed athletes much closer to viewers (close enough to count Olympic pins on their lanyards and lapels or see the smiles in their eyes on their mask-covered faces)

• Release of digital projection and paper doves set to a new-to-my-ears version of "Wings To Fly" in a recorded performance by Susan Boyle, who affirmed via Twitter "it was a true honour to be asked by the #TokyoOlympics to use by song ... during the dove release."

There were also a few head-scratchers:

• Final torchbearers entered the stadium accompanied by Maurice Ravel's "Bolero," perhaps foreshadowing the matching hairstyles of Naomi Osaka and Bo Derek as seen in the comedy "10" (which famously relied on the same music for a memorable effect)

• Yet another Olympic ceremony (the third or fourth) featuring John Lennon's "Imagine" -- I like the song, and it was certainly appropriate (maybe more now than in past ceremonies), but it's getting overplayed (would have welcomed/preferred an original song to inspire togetherness)

• While NBC aptly cut much of IOC President Thomas Bach's long-winded speech for their evening broadcast, WTF was that weird and unnecessary promo reel featuring "The Rock" Johnson (other than another delay to Team USA entering the stadium)? The promo added more time and had no messages worthy of viewer attention. Ridiculous!

A couple of hours after the live broadcast, the IOC press office distributed the full text of Bach's remarks. While the speech would have benefited from many edits for brevity, his positive messages resonated with me. 

As armchair quarterback, I'd have substituted "solidarity" with "togetherness" to strengthen the point. We still needed Bach not The Rock!

And while no breaths were held waiting for Bach to do so, I was secretly hoping he might drop in a stern message to anyone in the world with vaccine access not choosing to get vaccinated. 

"Get vaccinated, dummies!" would have had a nice ring to it. 

Photos via Reuters, Getty Images, AFP/Getty Images and China News. Video via Reuters.

Happy Anniversary: Modern Olympics Celebrate 125 Years Since Athens Opening of April 6, 1896

Anyone who loves the Olympics has cause for celebration.

Today -- April 6, 2021 -- marks the 125th anniversary of the first Modern Olympiad.

Happy Birthday, Olympic Games! 

Or as coined by a Funk & Wagnalls editor, we've reached the five-ringed quasquicentennial.

A quick check of Olympedia reveals the premiere opening ceremony took place at Athens Panathenaic Stadium on Easter Monday of 1896, as did the sports competition yielding the first medalist of the new era, track and field competitor James Connolly of the USA. 

According to additional sources, in the months before the Games commenced 125 years ago, the limestone stadium circa 330 B.C. received an extensive refurbishment for the occasion, increasing seating capacity to over 80,000, visible in some historic footage from the celebration:

As reported by select news outlets last week, the latest stadium upgrades -- in the form of new LED lights -- were illuminated with the push of a button by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. 

I liked reading excerpts of Bach's remarks at the Hellenic Olympic Committee-hosted ceremony. In addition to thanking Greece for giving the Olympics to the world, he quoted Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC, stating,

"Olympism calls for air and light for all."

It was also fun to discover that, perhaps as test run or a slight nod to Connelly -- whose parents were from Ireland -- on March 17 the stadium was bathed in emerald hues in honor of St. Patrick's Day. 

With a bit of luck, Tokyo 2020 may just turn out great!

I'm very thankful for the positive impact of the Olympics, stitched into the fabric of my upbringing and countless personal and professional milestones since my teenage years. 

Now 47, I obviously won't make it to the Games' bicentennial, but in spite of ever-evolving challenges for the IOC, the sesquicentennial in 2046 is bound to be a cause for a bigger, pandemic-free anniversary celebration than was possible in 2021. 

For those who've not yet been to Athens, standing in front of or inside the ancient stadium inspires awe. In the daylight -- as during my second visit their during a Greek holiday of 2007 -- the stone seating glows almost white. 

At dusk -- as I found one breezy summer evening during the Athens 2004 Games -- one can sit almost anywhere in the stone stands and hear the rustle of wind in the surrounding trees almost drowning out nearby traffic. A wonderful place to meditate on Olympic feats of all ages. 

Day or night the Acropolis and Parthenon loom nearby -- no wonder de Coubertin worked so hard to revive things.

Thank goodness he and countless millions kept the Olympic Movement on a mostly progressive path since. 

April 6, 2046, will mark the approach to my 73rd birthday, and I'm betting they light up the 150th celebration like a cauldron. Where will you be? I hope to see you then and there!

Image credits: 125th anniversary emblem via Shutterstock, stadium ceremony images via Xinhua and Greek City Times (also here). Olympic stamp via The Philatelic Database. 

Future Looks Great Now Through 2028!

Fabrice Coffrini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

On Monday afternoon (July 31), about five big alerts or texts popped up within a two-minute period, with one potential life-influencing message akin to a day in September 1990 when Atlanta won its Olympic bid for 1996.

In the moments of these inbound missives, I was navigating westbound 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan with a friend, the two of us urgently searching for a gas station to replenish a near-empty rental car fuel tank (technically, the first in the series of "alerts" arrived as my travel companion pointed out the illuminated "fuel low" light on the dashboard, and the second urgency-inducing element was the then-imminent conclusion to our interesting weekend of Long Island sightseeing and conversation).

Then, in rapid succession ... 

Alert: "The Mooch" out at White House (whew!)

Text: Family member in hospital (recovering, sort of OK, whew!)

Alert Press Release: Los Angeles announces deal creating LA28!

The initial alerts all sort of got blurry after that biggie ... Los Angeles is likely gonna host the 2028 summer Olympics. Amazing! Not entirely surprising given recent news, but an astounding headline that will certainly influence the trajectory of my life and countless others' lives during the next 11 years. 

Congratulations, LA28!

Here's the bid team's refreshed video highlighting so much of what Los Angeles offers as a three-time Olympic host:

Kudos are also due to Paris 2024 -- which will present Les Jeux Magnifique! -- for the city's eminent selection as the Games host on the city's centennial of presenting the 1924 summer Olympiad.

Favorite headline du jour may be from the French Olympic news site FrancJeux.com.

With thanks to the screenwriters for "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" for 21 years ago teaching me the phrase-turned-headline, Les Jeux Sont Fais -- The Game Is Up! (In this case, for Paris' five-tries-for-the-win bidding efforts.)

Here's a peek at Paris 2024's team video showcasing how the City of Lights is, to their bid motto, Made For Sharing:

The International Olympic Committee also deserves a high-five as the organization got creative and rewrote the books to accommodate two outstanding candidate cities found in LA and the French capital. In the words of IOC President Thomas Bach, a "win-win-win" indeed. Now the upcoming IOC Session in Lima, Peru, will be more of a formality to bestow two Games for the world to enjoy during this century's third decade. 

Several friends later wrote to ask my take on the news.

In a word: HAPPY!

The next three Olympic cities starting with Tokyo in 2020 are going to bring some overdue stability to the Olympic Movement not seen since the LA84 to Seoul '88 to Barcelona '92 era. Atlanta '96 delivered many ups and downs, Sydney 2000 was amazing, then the rive-ringed migraines of Athens '04, Beijing '08 and Rio 2016 shook things to the core. Even London 2012 struggled with world economic challenges. 

In three years, I believe Tokyo will deliver the most technically advanced modern Games, with Paris set to celebrate history and potentially restore traditions of the Cultural Olympiad, an element of the Games experience that once rivaled the sports competition.

Los Angeles will innovate things further with more than a decade to prepare. I, for one, can hardly wait to see things take shape over the next 10+ years, not only in the Olympic scene but also personally as I envision relocating professionally at some point, marriage and starting a family, preparing for retirement and other milestone events along the roads and flights to Japan, France and Los Angeles (not to mention future winter Olympic destinations). 

So many surprises occurred in my world in recent months. Who'da thunk Paris and LA would both prove victorious in their bids? Who'da thunk this would be the biggest year in client work for my growing public relations enterprise? Or finding new friends who've proven to be close quality companions? 

I am so optimistic on many fronts, and the creative and unexpected solutions that led to LA28 is inspiring to me. Some very creative and open minds collaborated through flexibility and patience -- the results will be dramatic and fresh.

Now, some have already found ways to poke holes in the future Games sites, like late night TV hosts (all in good fun, LOL). It will be interesting to see how the world's grizzled Olympic reporters rake up crud on which to hang some headlines now that they don't have Rio 2016 to kick around anymore.

As with that September day in 1990, when I returned home from a day of high school senior year classes to learn from my mother "some great news on NBC" that Atlanta won its bid to host the Centennial Games, I will always remember the person I was with and the place at which the LA28 news arrived. Big smiles. Happy. Very happy.

Where will you be in 11 years? Let's all meet in the City of Angels for some fun. Bravo!

Feeling Great (-ish) RE: IOC Vote for '24 and '28

Around noon July 11 word arrived (in the form of back-to-back media advisories from the International Olympic Committee, LA2024 and Paris 2024 and a live stream) that an unanimous vote in Switzerland will change the game for summer Olympic Games bids and hosting.

And now the world officially knows, for the first time in a single IOC Session, Olympic leadership will award both the 2024 and 2028 summer Olympics through a vote set to take place in Lima, Peru, two months from now. 

If IOC President Thomas Bach has his druthers, the dates for the next Games of Los Angeles and Paris will be known as early as August, with the September decision a mere formality. During his remarks with the mayors of Paris and L.A., the notion of "everyone wins" came up repeatedly, and this is apt. 

I applaud change and innovation. It also was good to see the official (and outstanding/flawless) presentations by Los Angeles and Paris earlier today. See the base of this post for the YouTube versions.

During the joint press conference featuring Bach and the mayors of both bid cities flanked by the bid leadership, I was trying to get a read on Casey Wasserman. 

On one hand, there must be some relief. The Olympics WILL RETURN to Los Angeles. Bravo!

On the other hand, there's gotta be a twinge of ... I don't know the right words ... a waft of sour grapes over the decision. Like two Olympians worthy of gold, two Olympic-level committees brought their A-Game, and the IOC is trying to divvy out two top-of-podium medals as if only a millisecond or micrometer separates the two champions from victory. Don't both "Olympians" in this fight deserve to know THE victor for posterity? 

I singled out Wasserman for a read on this because I believe it was his passion and communications savvy that kept LA in the race even with Boston's false start win early in the 2024 domestic race. Though I can only armchair quarterback on the Olympic bid front, I've been in a similar seat-- for comparison, I sat at PRSA and PR Week Award ceremonies awaiting word as to which client (mine or another agency's) would take home top honors, and tie wins kinda suck more than getting a silver! 

Wasserman's game face was all smiles, but I can't help wonder what he said behind closed doors with family or closest associates with less skin in the game. Was he beaming with glee or relief, or a little bit disappointed that his team will always have to wonder "who won, damnit!?"

But this is just speculation and Olympic armchair quarterbacking. I am thrilled that Los Angeles and Paris will follow Tokyo's 2020 Games in some order. The 2020's will be an outstanding and thrilling decade for summer Olympiads, period. Everyone wins, indeed!

Photo via LA2024

Learning and Sharing Some Olympic Intel

About a week ago, the kind of "you've arrived" e-mail about which bloggers dream dropped in as a surprise inbox missive.

The P.R. firm (specifically, a public relations peer met on the Road to Rio last year) wrote to extend an official invitation to an Olympic press conference hosted by "Brand X" (embargoed) and the International Olympic Committee.

After sharing my enthusiastic reply ("Ummmmm, twist my arm!") and a bit more conversation on specifics, I found myself booking my first all expenses paid trip to anywhere (in this case, New York), arriving Tuesday night at the Omni Berkshire.

Part of this post (well, this sentence and most of what appears above it) was written at 3:45 a.m. as I could not sleep over the anticipated news on Wednesday.

Not long after my itinerary got locked and loaded, a handful of fellow Olympic-minded reporters and outlets started breaking the news and speculating on the reasons and timing.

However, it's now official, today in New York's 620 Loft & Garden venue, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and IOC President Thomas Bach joined fellow Intel staff on stage and live from Oregon and Utah to announce Intel is the newest IOC TOP Sponsor. Intel's new worldwide Olympic sponsorship will run from 2017 to 2024 and commence in time for the Games of PyeongChang this winter.

The complete press room for the event is online. Here's one of several videos Intel released.

The ceremony included additional executives from Intel and The Olympic Channel (specifically, the network's CEO Yiannis Exarchos, a veteran of the Games since they reached his hometown in Athens 2004, I learned).

Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings helped press a button at Intel's global headquarters to officially launch the sponsorship.

Back in New York with our media audience, Bach presented Krzanich with a 2018 Olympic torch and an invitation to join the upcoming torch relay.

"Through close collaboration with the Olympic family, we will accelerate the adoption of technology for the future of sports on the world's largest athletic stage," said Krzanich.

Paraphrasing Intel's press release, Intel's contributions to the Olympic Movement will include tech developments rolled out in sequence. Advancements include Intel's 5G platforms to be deployed during Korea's Games.

Intel drone light show technology will create new skyward images at Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Virtual Reality (VR), 3D and 360-degree content development is on deck, too (we tried out some VR headsets with live feed to Park City's ski jump training center and the views were amazing).

Here's another video with an aspiring Olympic snowboarder for Team USA.

On VR specifically, Krzanich and company explained there will be at least 16 live VR experiences from key competitions in PyeongChang.

Imagine the gold medal hockey game with a VR view from inside the net facing center ice, or 360 elements surrounding a luge athlete hurling toward the finish line. Intel's freeD sports technology (already in use with MLB and other network sports) is another emerging tech element demoed on site.

When I asked about the history of the Intel:IOC partnership, Krzanich responded that talks began during and after the most recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) only a few months ago. If a look at the punch list for today's flawless announcement looked daunting, imagine the massive effort commencing to meet deadlines for February 2018.

I, for one, am really excited about this sponsorship. Some really smart and forward-thinking minds collaborated in a pressure cooker of time, and the potential this sponsorship brings to the Olympic Family, other sponsors, the broadcasters, media, athletes and, of course, fans will forever change the Games in positive ways. I am so appreciative to have enjoyed a front seat at the launch.

After the formal Q&A, I spoke with Bach and his communications handler about the history of technology innovations at the Games, bringing up that when Bach competed in 1976, live broadcasts and improving color coverage may have been the "hot new thing" and whether he ever imagined the potential for such a big tech announcement on his watch at the IOC.

"I think nobody could expect that the [technology] development would move so fast," said Bach. "If you see the potential [of Intel's] 5Gs is offering, and how fast it's coming, if you asked people three years ago if would have said it may take maybe another decade but here we are already and it is fascinating to see."

Thank you very much to Intel and their Olympic P.R. team for the opportunity and support in the form of providing travel and accommodations for the journey to their announcement.

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver