Talking about the bond between Omega and the Olympic Games, the two have been connected for a long time and have become legends to each other. Since 1932, Omega has served as the official timekeeper for 26 Olympic Games. In this quite long history, the Olympic Games have influenced the progress of the world watch industry, and watch timing has also contributed to the brilliance of sports events.
When a Centenary Timepiece Meets the Rio Olympics
The flame of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games has been lit. This is the first time that South America has hosted a large, world-renowned comprehensive sports event on a global scale, and it is bound to become an extraordinary grand sports gathering. Omega will continue to serve as the official timekeeper for this grand event, taking on a glorious mission once again. The brand will continue to fulfill its due duties with its immortal commitment and eternal passion, and continue the supreme glory the brand has achieved.
As the officially designated timekeeping brand for the Olympic Games, Omega bears a huge responsibility. This means it is not just a sponsor, but also a huge carrier that has recorded more than one million pieces of data. Omega will provide 335 special sports scoreboards, 450 tons of timing equipment, 480 on-site professional timing staff and more for the Rio Olympics. Of course, Omega does not only focus on the schedule of just a few weeks, but also devotes itself to researching, developing and mastering the technology for accurate timing of every second.
From the track to the swimming pool, Omega has fully demonstrated its amazing magic. On the athletics field, Omega has created many well-known accurate sports timing devices, including photo-finish cameras, starting blocks, false start detection technology and high-speed camera systems; for swimming events, Omega has developed a timing system that leaves no room for doubt about competition results, including the well-known touch pads. These touch pads are installed at both ends of each swimming lane, allowing athletes to stop the timing themselves with their hands, eliminating the errors caused by manual timing. Therefore, for all athletes who will compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Omega will continue to provide accurate and reliable timing services for every competitor with its rich event experience.
1932 was just the beginning...
In 1932, Omega was entrusted with an important task at the Los Angeles Olympic Games and became the first company to serve as the designated timekeeper for the Olympic Games. Since then, Omega has started a long-term cooperative partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). At the beginning of the cooperation, Omega provided 1 timekeeper and 30 high-precision timing watches certified by the Neuchâtel Observatory of Switzerland, and successfully achieved an accuracy of the competition results close to 1/10 of a second. This move not only won praise from the Olympic Organizing Committee, but also helped the Olympic Games establish 17 new world records.
In 1948, Omega introduced an even greater timing invention to the London Olympic Games, that is the first photo-finish camera. Today, the subsequent products of this design are still used on athletics tracks and bring ultra-accurate timing experience to events. The photo-finish camera can help timekeepers accurately determine the time when contestants cross the finish line, and can accurately distinguish the tiny differences in results between athletes, so that competition results no longer cause disputes. Nowadays, the photo-finish cameras used in competitions are photosensor-enabled, which can capture 10,000 digital images per second. It is a combination of distance measurement, time recording and photo recording, and can present even the tiniest differences on the image.
The tiny differences in competitions are originally extremely difficult for the naked eye to distinguish the winner. In the men's 100-meter freestyle competition at the 1960 Rome Olympics, the referees had serious differences when determining the winner. This incident made Omega realize again the importance of accurate timing. For this reason, Omega introduced the automatic touch pads installed at the end of swimming pools, allowing swimmers to stop the timing themselves with their hands, ensuring the correct calculation of competition time and the fairness and impartiality of competition results. This design was used at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg and achieved great success.
With the continuous development of the Olympic Games, Omega has also continued to explore and innovate in the field of timing. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, Omega provided 45 timekeepers and timing equipment weighing 8 tons, including the Omega photo-finish printer. This new device is used to capture the image of the moment when athletes cross the finish line, and referees can get it within one minute after the race ends, so as to judge the correct competition result.
By 1984, Omega made another major breakthrough in Olympic timing and introduced a more accurate false start detection device. This equipment is extremely sensitive, and its operating principle is to measure the pressure exerted by the athlete on the starting block to determine whether a false start has occurred. When the pressure exerted by an athlete on the starting block during the start reaches 29 kilograms (27 kilograms for female athletes), the device will start recording their reaction time. With the allowable physiological reaction time of 100 milliseconds, Omega can accurately detect even a slight false start.
In the 30 years that followed, Omega has developed and formed a brand with a highly precise professional timing system. On today's competition fields, we can see Omega's new starting blocks, swimming ranking indicator lights, high-precision quantum timers, photoelectronic acoustic starting guns, and the aforementioned photosensor photo-finish cameras, etc. Every accurate timing tool is the product of Omega racing against time.
Conclusion: Under the gaze of Omega's accurate timing, Olympic records have been continuously set and broken, and miracles have also been continuously created. This is a great power of timekeeping, and it is also the Olympic spirit that travels through time.