To bring fans closer to the action than ever before, Samsung installed more than 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones on the 85 athlete boats taking part in the Opening Ceremony. The event was livestreamed through a private 5G network powered by Orange, the official mobile network provider for Paris 2024 in France).

▲Team Kenya athlete shares a selfie with fans with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

Fans tuning into the broadcast were given a closer look at an already unique celebration of the Olympic spirit in the 2024 host city of Paris. Those who watched the Opening Ceremony could experience the event from the athletes’ point of view as they shared scenes from this memorable ceremony using their Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition smartphones.

▲Team Australia athlete shares a selfie with fans with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

Samsung collaborated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to create a meaningful night for athletes and fans — requiring extensive planning with various Olympic partners for real-time footage streams, seamless 5G connectivity and other technology support.

The opening ceremony livestream is just one of several ways Samsung is sharing the excitement from Paris 2024 with the world. The sailing competition in Marseille and Victory Selfies will also bring fans closer to the Olympic Games. For a brand-new view of the sailing competition in Marseille, Samsung is installing Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones to the boats and on the athletes’ shoulders. Furthermore, medalists can capture their emotions with Victory Selfies using the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition provided at the podium.

▲ Team Korea athletes share their experience with fans with their new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

More than 100 experts, 250 phones and 360 days of testing made delivering these moments possible. The efforts to enhance the viewing experience for fans around the world were all part of Paris 2024’s vision of ‘Games Wide Open.’ Through its mobile innovations, Samsung will inspire Paris 2024 athletes and fans to keep an open mind because ‘Open always wins.’

▲ Team Japan athletes share a selfie with fans with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Team Guatemala athlete shares lifelong memory with fans with his new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Team Refugee athletes share their experience with fans with their new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones placed on boat to offer a unique view of the Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra placed on boat to offer a unique view of the Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra placed on the bow of the Team GB boat during the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra placed on the bow of the Team Romania boat during the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra placed on the bow of the Team Senegal boat during the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

Not anymore. In the spirit of a ‘Games Wide Open’ at Paris 2024, Samsung is helping athletes create and share new, more personal memories of the celebration atop the podium with the Victory Selfie powered by Galaxy.

In an Olympic Games first, medalists at Paris 2024 have been documenting their ceremonies from their own perspective as they were handed the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition on the podium to take their Victory Selfie after receiving their Olympic medals. The selfies have been uploaded automatically and wirelessly to the Athlete365 portal so athletes can share their moments on a whole new level — perfectly aligning with Samsung’s belief that ‘Open always wins’ and that openness creates new perspectives and infinite possibilities.

“To be able to share the moment of achieving my dream of winning a medal with my fans, family and friends around the world — through my own perspective — was incredible,” said Team Samsung Galaxy member Rayssa Leal (Skateboarding, Brazil). “It not only amplified a moment I’ll never forget but also celebrated the camaraderie beyond the competition as my fellow medalists and I took the Victory Selfie together on the podium.”

Samsung Newsroom picked some of the best shots from the Paris 2024 medal ceremonies below. The new Victory Selfie program will continue throughout the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

▲ (From left) Silver medalist Liz Akama of Team Japan, gold medalist Coco Yoshizawa of Team Japan and bronze medalist and Team Samsung Galaxy member Rayssa Leal of Team Brazil pose for their Victory Selfie after the women’s street skateboarding competition. (Photo by Getty Images/Samsung)

▲ (From left) Silver medalists Jihyeon Keum and Hajun Park of Team Republic of Korea, gold medalists Yuting Huang and Lihao Sheng of Team People’s Republic of China and bronze medalists Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev of Team Kazakhstan pose for the first-ever Victory Selfie after the 10m air rifle mixed team shooting competition. (Photo by Charles McQuillan / Getty Images)

▲ (From left) Silver medalists Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook of Team USA, gold medalists Yani Chang and Yiwen Chen of Team People’s Republic of China and bronze medalists Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen of Team Great Britain pose for their Victory Selfie with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition after the women’s synchronized 3m springboard diving competition. (Photo by Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

▲ (From left) Silver medalist Anna Henderson of Team Great Britain, gold medalist Grace Brown of Team Australia and bronze medalist Chloe Dygert of Team USA pose for their Victory Selfie after the women’s individual time trial road cycling competition. (Photo by Tim de Waele / Getty Images)

▲ (From left) Silver medalist Filippo Ganna of Team Italy and gold medalist Remco Evenepoel and bronze medalist Wout van Aert from Team Belgium pose for their Victory Selfie after the men’s individual time trial road cycling competition. (Photo by Jan Woitas / Getty Images)

▲ (From left) Silver medalist Elijah Winnington of Team Australia, gold medalist Lukas Märtens of Team Germany and bronze medalist Woomin Kim of Team Republic of Korea pose for their Victory Selfie after the men’s 400m freestyle swimming competition. (Photo by Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

▲ (From left) Silver medalist Fares Ferjani of Team Tunisia, gold medalist Sanguk Oh of Team Republic of Korea and bronze medalist Luigi Samele of Team Italy pose for their Victory Selfie after the men’s sabre individual fencing competition. (Photo by Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

▲ (From left) Silver medalist Baasankhuu Bavuudorj of Team Mongolia, gold medalist Natsumi Tsunoda of Team Japan and bronze medalists Shirine Boukli of Team France and Tara Babulfath of Team Sweden pose for their Victory Selfie after the women -48 kg judo competition. (Photo by Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

▲ (From left) Silver medalist Yeji Kim and gold medalist Ye Jin Oh of Team Republic of Korea and bronze medalist Manu Bhaker of Team India pose for their Victory Selfie after the women’s 10m air pistol shooting competition. (Photo by Charles McQuillan / Getty Images)

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, today announced its plans alongside the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to revolutionize the Paris 2024 broadcast experience for viewers and fans. New, first-of-its-kind footage – which will be captured and shared with Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – will play an integral role in opening up the historic Opening Ceremony on the Seine River and the Olympic Games’ sailing competitions like never before.

As the Official Smartphone and Computing Equipment partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Samsung will harness its advanced mobile technology and 5G connectivity to provide a closer perspective of these iconic celebratory and competition moments. This new view, powered by Samsung Galaxy innovation, will not just help Paris 2024 deliver on its promise to be the most open Games ever, but also further Samsung’s legacy of innovation in support of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“In an increasingly connected society, Samsung Galaxy mobile technology has helped deepen and transform users’ relationships with the world, wherever they are. Having been a Worldwide Partner for nearly three decades, we know first-hand how important it is to create and enable the same meaningful connections at the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Stephanie Choi, EVP & Head of Marketing of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “We’re honored to be working closely with the IOC and OBS to provide high quality footage that will be part of a series of firsts at Paris 2024 and bring fans at home and onsite even closer to the excitement.”

In about a month, the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place outside of a stadium for the first time ever. Paris 2024 will see 10,500 athletes float down the Seine River in designated boats for each national delegation, in what aims to be the most open and accessible opening ceremony in history. Departing from the Austerlitz bridge, the iconic parade will follow a six-kilometer route through the centre of Paris, passing some of the official Olympic Games venues before the ceremony’s grand finale at the Trocadéro.

Galaxy S24 Ultra Gives Viewers Front Row Seat to the Games

To bring fans at home closer to the action and provide an intimate glimpse of athlete’s reactions during this once-in-a-lifetime voyage, Samsung will install more than 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones at the bow and sides of each of the 85 athlete vessels at the opening ceremony. The high-quality HDR footage taken with the Galaxy S24 Ultra devices will be shared and streamed via a private 5G network powered by Orange, the official mobile network provider of Paris 2024 in France. Orange will install more than a dozen of 5G antennas along the Seine to create the first-ever 5G standalone network in France, as this pioneering collaboration is designed to ensure a seamless 5G connectivity and viewing experience for fans around the world.

Samsung will also deploy the same technology for the sailing competitions in Marseille by installing the Galaxy S24 Ultra on each competition boat, letting fans experience the thrill of the race alongside their favorite Olympians and allowing them to truly get in on the action.

This presented a whole new set of challenges and months of research, development and testing – in close collaboration with the OBS and Orange – to guarantee video quality and connectivity performance across various bodies of water and weather conditions, which can be really windy with huge waves or extremely hot and sunny. Samsung and its partners addressed these challenges by leveraging the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Optical image stabilization (OIS) features, increasing transmission power, and installing relay towers on chase boat to ensure a seamless livestream experience for viewers.

“As host broadcaster of the Olympic Games, we’re incredibly excited about this partnership with Samsung which will allow a truly original perspective of Paris 2024, evolving the way in which fans will experience the Games,” said Yiannis Exarchos, Chief Executive Officer of OBS. “Samsung’s latest mobile innovation will allow millions of fans around the world to live and breathe the spirit, action and emotion of the Opening Ceremony and sailing competitions alongside their favorite athletes in real-time.”

Samsung’s Long-Running Contribution to the Games

This announcement marks the next stage of Samsung’s long-standing commitment, in close collaboration with the IOC, to drive digital transformation and deliver cutting-edge technology at the Games by opening up the latest mobile innovations to athletes, fans and communities alike. This originated with the first ‘Call Home’ program which allowed nearly 2,500 athletes to speak to their families back home for free in 1998, when access to mobile phones was limited. It continued with the Wireless Olympic Works (WOW) app, the first official Olympic information service on mobile. The WOW app was introduced to Olympic organizers via Samsung-supplied Palm OS phones at Athens 2004 and then was made available to the public at Vancouver 2010, providing fans with the latest Games-time updates straight to their mobile phones.

In addition to driving mobile innovation, Samsung has also contributed to how athletes, and staff, connect and communicate during the Games-time. Since Nagano 1998, Samsung has provided athletes and staff with a total of more than 120,000 mobile products.

Details of how Samsung will further leverage its technological capabilities to bring fans closer to athletes, in another Olympic first will be revealed in the coming weeks.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, home appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions, and delivering seamless connected experiences through its SmartThings ecosystem and open collaboration with partners. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung newsroom at new.samung.com.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Olympic Games

Samsung has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998. For over 25 years, athletes and fans have trusted Samsung’s transformative mobile technology to share the Olympic spirit globally and continue to shape the digital future of the Olympic Games for Paris 2024 and beyond. The company’s commitment to the Olympic Movement soon faces its fourth decade of partnership and extends through Los Angeles 2028. Samsung’s purposeful innovations in the wireless communications and computing equipment category, including equipment that features artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and 5G will change the way the world experiences the Olympic Games.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Paralympic Games

Samsung is a Worldwide Partner of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in the wireless communications and computing equipment category. Starting from Paralympic Winter Games Torino 2006, the company has proudly supported the Paralympic Movement and enabled athletes and fans around the world to share the excitement and inspiration of the Games through Samsung’s transformative mobile technology. Samsung’s commitment to the Paralympic Games will extend through to Los Angeles 2028 and be celebrated through innovative mobile and computing experiences powered by purposeful innovations in the wireless communications and computing equipment category, including equipment that features artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and 5G.