Chipmaker Intel becomes the major Olympics sponsor starting the Winter Games in South Korea.
The partnership between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Intel is seeing the technology company to showcase a range of new technologies in the Games, including 5G wireless, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, as well as drones.
"We're very excited to be working with the Intel team to drive the future of the Olympic Games through cutting-edge technology," said IOC President Thomas Bach. Announcing the deal, Bach and Intel's CEO Brian Krzanich hope that it would open a host of new experiences up to athletes, fans and viewers.
"Through this 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," Krzanich said. "We'll allow people online to feel like they are there."
Bach admitted that Olympic viewership over the past decade had trended towards older audiences. But as the Games become more digital, it tried to become more appealing to tech-savvy and younger audience. Previously, the IOC has signed a similar sponsorship with Alibaba. Samsung has been an Olympics partner since 1988.
"I got really concerned because then, you have to ask yourself, 'Why?'" he said. "We could see from about 2012 on that it was very much a question about the platform. The youth just weren't watching as much TV as they used to in the past."
Bach described the deal as a "novel step" and "a milestone in achieving our goals" of bringing more young people to the Olympics.
The deal was made a week after the 41-year sponsorship partnership between McDonald's and the IOC severed. McDonald's pulls out of Olympics sponsorship after the fast food company cited a change in the company priorities as the reason for terminating the deal.
McDonald's been tightening costs as it invests in improving food quality, restaurant service and online ordering to win back diners in the U.S. where intense competition has took away
At the same time, the IOC also faced criticisms due to allowing sponsors from those like Coca-Cola and McDonald's, and others which contrast to the image of healthy living the Games seek to promote.
"With McDonald's, it's very easy," Bach said. "They are changing and we are changing and this is why we agreed on going different ways."
