Olympic timekeeper Omega makes tweaks for the Paralympics
About 260 Omega employees are working at this year’s Paralympics
PARIS — About 260 Omega employees are working at this year’s Paralympics. Each worker is guided by one principle, according to chief executive officer Alain Zobrist.
“Once you hit the enter key,” he said, “you can’t go back.”
Omega has been an official partner of the Olympics since 1932, and with the Paralympics since Barcelona 1992. The Swiss watchmaker is currently a top-tier partner.
The trip to every new host city brings about a push for new advancements to its timekeeping systems.
Paris 2024 has seen the debut of new photo finish cameras, capable of shooting 40,000 frames per second. Omega also brought sensors for the starting line that can record reaction time feedback every quarter of a millisecond.
The features were implemented for both Summer Games, Olympic and Paralympic, but some additions are exclusive to the Paralympics. Zobrist and Omega have given a couple of tours and demonstrations to journalists at arenas to display how their equipment operates.
“We have photocells that are installed closer to the ground to capture wheelchairs,” Zobrist said Monday, standing on the field of play of the Stade de France. “Additionally, flashlights can be put on the starting blocks that are in-time with the sound of the starting gun.”
Timing is also very standardized. The front torso denotes the winner in standing events, and the front part of the wheel is what is used for wheelchair events.
The torso measurement became a talking point during the Olympics, when many fans questioned who actually won the men’s 100-meter final, Noah Lyles or Kishane Thompson. Lyles’ front torso crossed the line first, giving him the gold medal.
“There was no controversy,”
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