Tatyana took a tour of the Galaxy Studio, which went through a transformation to include several accessibility features to ensure all consumers, athletes and fans are able to take part in a variety of interactive experiences. During her visit, the Paralympic medalist experienced Samsung’s latest wireless communications products such as Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge and Gear VR immersive technologies, as well as unique, hands-on opportunities.

The Samsung Galaxy Studio, which re-opened this week in the Olympic Park, was revamped to help all fans embrace the excitement of the Paralympic Games. The flagship studio in Olympic Park offers unique opportunities for visitors to experience how Samsung Accessibility technology features are designed and utilized to help those with disabilities.

“I’m thrilled to be selected to be part of the Samsung Blogger Program once again to capture and share my excitement to be competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games,” McFadden said while visiting the Samsung Galaxy Studio. “Watching my journey leading up to this moment in the Social Galaxy Room allowed me to put all my hard work into perspective. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the Paralympic Games will bring!”

Inside the Social Galaxy Room, Team USA Paralympic Track and Field Athlete, Tatyana McFadden was able to see her past Instagram moments come to life in full 360 at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday, September 10th 2016.

Team USA Paralympic Track and Field Athlete, Tatyana McFadden, participates in the Galaxy Accessibility Experience Program and tested out the Blind Game at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park on Saturday, September 10th 2016.

Team USA Paralympic Track and Field Athlete, Tatyana McFadden, is all smiles as she experiences the high-speed thrill of simulated Olympic kayaking through 4D motion virtual reality at the Samsung Galaxy Studio Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on September 10th, 2016. The film is displayed through the Samsung Galaxy smartphone and Gear VR.

Team USA Paralympic Track and Field Athlete, Tatyana McFadden takes a selfie at Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park on September 10th, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

For more information about Samsung’s involvement in the Paralympic Games, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com/Olympics/

As part of the brand’s efforts to help make the digital world more accessible for those with disabilities, Samsung hosted the children at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park for a fun and immersive tour and hands-on technology experience, where they learned how Samsung Accessibility technology features can be used in everyday activities.  Accompanied by their parents, the children tried out Samsung´s latest technologies, including Gear VR, which paired with the Galaxy smartphone to provide an immersive 360-degree experience. The children were able to experience the thrill of a roller coaster in high speed kayak tour as well.

The AACD in Brazil is committed to rehabilitation and special care for disabled children. The institution also provides other activities such as professional training, support programs, insertion into Paralympic sport and social integration of patients.

Brazilian Paralympian, Terezinha Guilhermina, and Brazilian Olympic Gold Medalist, Lipe Fonteles, welcome local children from AACD (Disabled Children Assistance Association) at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Local children from AACD (Disabled Children Assistance Association) participate in the Galaxy Accessibility Experience Program and tested out the Blind Game at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Samsung – in partnership with AACD (Disabled Children Assistance Association) – hosted children at a Rio 2016 Paralympic Games sporting event and gave them a hands-on tour of the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Local children from AACD (Disabled Children Assistance Association) experience simulated Olympic kayaking through 4D motion virtual reality via Samsung’s Gear VR at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park. Samsung brought the kids to a Paralympic Games sporting event and hosted them for a tour of the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park. Inside

Inside the Social Galaxy room, local children from AACD (Disabled Children Assistance Association) watch past latest Instagram moments come to life in 360 degrees at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

For more information about Samsung’s involvement in the Paralympic Games, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com/Olympics/

Among the visitors include Tsepo Mathibelle, a marathon runner from Lesotho; US track and field athlete Brenda Martinez; and Irish gymnast Kieran Behan.

The athletes not only got a chance to greet their fans, but also had the opportunity to try out numerous virtual reality experiences with Samsung’s Gear VR and get hands on with the Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Games Limited Edition.

Like Samsung, these athletes in particular have overcome barriers to achieve greatness and to realize their own personal dreams and goals.

Check out the photos below to see the highlights of their visit.

Lesotho marathon runner Tsepo Mathibelle takes a selfie with his Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Games Limited Edition at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Samsung presented 12,500 Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Games Limited Edition smartphones to athletes competing in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Inside the Social Galaxy room, Irish gymnast Kieran Behan watches his past Instagram moments come to life in 360 degrees. “The technology here in the Samsung Galaxy Studio is absolutely amazing,” said Behan, the second Irish gymnast to qualify for the Olympic Games.

“I’m most excited about my Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Games Limited Edition—it’s such a cool commemorative phone from Samsung,” US track and field athlete Brenda Martinez stated during her visit to the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Village.

Tsepo Mathibelle is all smiles as he experiences simulated Olympic kayaking through 4D motion virtual reality via Samsung’s Gear VR and Galaxy smartphone. Mathibelle overcame numerous barriers on his way to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. His story was told in the recent documentary short “A Fighting Chance.”

Inside the Social Galaxy room at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park, Brenda Martinez watches her Instagram moments come alive all around her.

Kieran Behan, who defied numerous barriers on his journey to the Olympic Games—including a tumor in his leg at age 10 and a brain injury from a gymnastics fall shortly after—receives a gift of Samsung-themed Rio 2016 Olympic Games pins at the Samsung Galaxy Studio.

Brenda Martinez experiences the high-speed thrill of a roller coaster through a 4D virtual reality film at the Samsung Galaxy Studio during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Martinez overcame a setback in the 800 meters at the US track and field team trials by qualifying for Rio 2016 just days later in the 1,500 meters.

Inside the Social Galaxy Room, Tsepo Mathibelle sees Instagram moments come to life in 360 degrees. He noted, “I feel a connection to Samsung, as the company is all about defying barriers, which is similar to my story, as I’ve had to overcome so many obstacles to get here today.”

Kieran Behan tests out his Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Games Limited Edition at Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park. “It truly is a collector’s item,” he said of the smartphone.

The Galaxy Studio located within the Olympic Park was specifically designed to help fans embrace the excitement of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and celebrate the Olympic spirit, enabling them to create, capture and share their own experiences. To complement the Samsung Galaxy Studio in the Olympic Park, two additional Galaxy Studios will be stationed in the Olympic Village and Main Press Centre (MPC); as well as several Galaxy Studios throughout local cities in Brazil to help expand the Olympic spirit to a wider audience.

For more information about Samsung’s involvement in the Olympic Games, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com/Olympics/

Samsung Electronics, Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category, hosted the opening ceremony of the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (From left) Chief Commercial Officer of the Rio 2016 Committee, Renato Ciuchini; Managing Director of IOC Television & Marketing Services, Timo Lumme; Olympic mascot Vinicius; President of Samsung Electronics Latin America, Jeonghwan Kim; and Vice President of the Mobile Division of Samsung Brazil, Changhoon Yoon.

Timo Lumme, Managing Director of IOC Television & Marketing Services, sit in a 4D motion chair to experience the extreme 4D kayaking VR at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during its opening ceremony.

Timo Lumme, Managing Director of IOC Television & Marketing Services, experiences the Social Galaxy zone at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during its opening ceremony.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Olympic Games

Samsung began its Olympic Games involvement as a local sponsor of the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Beginning with the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games, the company extended its commitment to the Olympic Movement as the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category, providing its proprietary wireless communications platform, called Wireless Olympic Works (WOW), and mobile devices. These innovative mobile phone technologies provide the Olympic Family with real-time, user location-based information service, interactive communications, and Samsung Pay. Samsung hosts various Olympic campaigns to share the excitement of the Olympic Games with people around the world and enable everyone to participate in the Games through its innovative mobile technology. Samsung’s commitment as a Worldwide Olympic Partner continues through to Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018, and Tokyo 2020.

“Sometimes I wonder what I’m doing, getting up early, training for hours in the rain, storms, cold and wind,” said Vebjørn Hegdal, a cross-country skier about to participate in the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games. “But if you really want something and like something, go for it. Don’t listen to people who say it’s hard and almost impossible. It’s your choice and your decision.”

As a sponsor of this year’s Winter Youth Olympic Games, which are being held from February 12 to 21 in Lillehammer Norway, Samsung Electronics is passionate about the spirit and power of young people. That energy and youthful defiance against the odds is the focus of Samsung’s “The Only Way to Know” video, which looks at many young athletes as they prepare for the Youth Olympics.

Vebjørn Hegdal, Cross-Country Skier

The video also shows how Samsung mobile devices are an integral part of their lives, whether it is for taking selfies, posting training videos, posting supportive messages and “likes”, sharing photos and more. Samsung is proud to support those young athletes and be a part of their stories, reinforcing the message through the social media campaign #TheOnlyWayToKnow.

In the video, these young competitors struggle to become the best athletes then can be, even while wrestling with self-doubt and the unknown. In addition to Vebjørn, there’s Astrid, a young ski jumper, Ian Rocca, an alpine skier, Daniel Grassi, a figure skater, and many more.

Daniel Grassi, Figure Skater

As viewers listen to their thoughts, the touching video provides glimpses of their struggles, both as athletes and as young people. The questions that haunt them through their endless hours of training are the same doubts that follow young people everywhere. The video shows them preparing, practicing, falling down and wiping out—even breaking bones.

But the athletes never stay down. They all get back up again and keep training. Then, reinvigorated, their determined voices are an impressive example for young people everywhere:

“Maybe I’m already enough.”

“Maybe this will be what pushes me.”

“Maybe I’ll be a leader. The greatest. The best.”

“Maybe this is not the end.”

“Maybe this is just the beginning.”

The transformative power of sports to overcome the fears and uncertainty of youth is inspirational, an uplifting feeling that Samsung conveys in this video. “If I had doubts, I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything,” said Ian Rocaa the alpine skier from Italy. “I’ve always believed in my abilities. I’m no doubter.”

Ian Rocca, an Alpine Skier

For Astrid Moberg, a young ski jumper from Sweden, there is an additional motivation: ski jumping was only added as an Olympic event for women in 2014, and many people still don’t know about it.

“This video gave me the chance to promote ski jumping,” said Astrid. “I want to show what promising ski jumpers we have from my part of Sweden. People don’t understand what a fantastic sport this is.”

Astrid Moberg, Ski Jumper

The Youth Olympic Games started in Singapore in 2010, as a way of encouraging young athletes aged 15 to 18 from around the world not only to get involved, but also to integrate a healthy cultural and developmental program in their lives.

Samsung Electronics, Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category, announced a new Olympic initiative seeking to unite the world through inspiration and the power of connection during the Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games. As a global leader in mobile technologies, Samsung is committed to enhancing the Olympic Movement through innovative products and providing athletes and fans around the globe with memorable one-of-a-kind experiences.

With a series of event activations and unique programming, the Samsung Galaxy Studios will make the Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games inspiring and unforgettable for fans throughout the city and Olympic venues. Leading up to the Youth Olympic Games, Samsung will spread the spirit of the Games to young fans around the world through marketing campaign, “The Only Way to Know.” The campaign will be brought to life through an integrated, cross-platform marketing approach including a wide variety of on-site activations as well as digital and traditional assets.

“We understand that challenges facing today’s youth can be daunting, and we are committed to providing opportunities and programs designed to inspire them along the way to never lose sight of their hopes and dreams,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is proud to spread the Youth Olympic Games spirit both in Lillehammer and around the globe and create new experiences designed to reach youths through our state-of-the-art technology and riveting VR content.”

For the Lillehammer Youth Olympic Games, Samsung and the International Olympic Committee will partner to deliver the first ever Olympic content in Virtual Reality. The action will also be real for fans watching remotely, with Samsung offering the opportunity to tune into the VR Live Streaming of the Opening Ceremony via Samsung mobile device, feeling the energy of the crowd as the athletes enter the stadium.

“Samsung is a longstanding Worldwide Olympic Partner that is dedicated to empowering fans, both during the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, through innovative technologies and breakthrough experiences,” said Timo Lumme, IOC TMS Managing Director. “We are honored to partner with them on this first-of-its-kind VR live streaming offering, just one of the ways that we can ensure boundaries of what are possible for both youths on the ground and those watching remote are constantly being pushed.”

Samsung will further maximize the excitement of the Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games by utilizing its latest technology with highly-engaging experiences, including:

Feeling the Passion of the Sports: The Gear VR Experience

To celebrate the opening night of the 2016 Youth Olympic Games on February 12, the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Lillehammer and other select locations will provide unparalleled experiences through VR Live Streaming and allow users to feel fully immersed in the Opening Ceremony. By simply pairing the Galaxy smartphones with Samsung Gear VR, the first-ever live streaming will showcase immersive angles of the Olympic torch lighting, Parade of Nations, and other Ceremony events. In addition, daily VR highlights will feature a variety of winter sports, including speed skating, snowboarding, figure skating, ski jumping, and more, and these contents will be available for public following the event.

From February 11-21, three Samsung Galaxy Studios – the VR Bus, VR Monument and the VR Station – will be set up in various locations around Lillehammer to provide a variety of immersive, never-before-felt experiences for youths, spectators and athletes. Visitors will have exposure to Samsung mobile products including the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S6 edge, and Galaxy S6 and be given the opportunity to try a winter sport through immersive VR experiences with Gear VR. A unique 4D VR offering will be available at the VR Station, where studio visitors can sit in theatre-like chairs and feel the exhilaration of ski jumping, stepping outside of comfort zones to experience something they never would’ve dreamed possible.

Capturing the Dreams of Young Athletes with Technology

Youth Olympic Games hopefuls, including Norwegian Vebjørn Hegdal, will be featured in the TV/ digital commercial “The Only Way to Know,” dedicated to telling the story of youths who battle through constraints both in life and in sport. Through Samsung Galaxy, youths are encouraged to forge their own path and share their journey on social media with the campaign #THEONLYWAYTOKNOW.

Additional digital and social content will be provided throughout the Lillehammer Games by 47 IOC Young Ambassadors representing 39 different countries around the world. The Young Ambassadors program, which is entering its fourth Youth Olympic Games cycle, encourages youths to be curious and stay active through sports. As part of the program, the youth ambassadors are featured interacting with Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ to share self-expression and stay connected throughout their stories of inspiring bravery in sports and in life.

Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games will be held February12-21, 2016 in Lillehammer, Norway.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Olympic Games

Samsung began its Olympic Games involvement as a local sponsor of the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Beginning with the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games, the company extended its commitment to the Olympic Movement as the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category, providing its proprietary wireless communications platform, called Wireless Olympic Works (WOW), and mobile devices. These innovative mobile phone technologies provide the Olympic Family with real-time, user location-based information service, interactive communications, and mobile payment on-site. Samsung hosts various Olympic campaigns to share the excitement of the Olympic Games with people around the world and enable everyone to participate in the Games through its innovative mobile technology. Samsung’s commitment as a Worldwide Olympic Partner continues through to Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018, and Tokyo 2020.