Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung, in the heart of Paris

With less than 100 days to go until Paris 2024, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner has officially kicked-off its ‘Open always wins’ campaign, which celebrates the brand’s shared values of openness with the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games – and announced the grand opening of its Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung | Champs-Elysees 125 showcase.

As announced in January, Samsung’s ‘Open always wins’ message articulates the brand’s belief that openness enables new perspectives and infinite possibilities and will serve as the heart of its Paris 2024 programming. The new campaign, which debuted recently, brings ‘Open always wins’ to life through the stories of Team Samsung Galaxy skateboarder Aurélien Giraud (France), Para sprinter Johannes Floors (Germany) and breakdancer Sarah Bee (France), and demonstrates how being open enables you to do extraordinary things.

“As a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, Samsung has been driving innovation and delivering cutting-edge technology and experiences at the Games for nearly 40 years,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics.

“The way we enjoy the Games has evolved dramatically over time, with technology playing a critical role in bringing the Olympic spirit to life. This is even more true as we embark on a ‘Games wide open,’ and we are excited to bring Olympic fans and athletes closer than ever by opening up new experiences and meaningful connections at Paris 2024 with our ‘Open always wins’ campaign.”

Samsung has also unveiled a brand-new showcase, Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung | Champs-Elysees 125, which will take Olympic and Paralympic Games fans on an epic journey to Paris 2024 through iconic experiences. They will get to relive the biggest highlights of Games past with Galaxy, and explore Samsung’s latest innovations, and create lifelong memories with Galaxy AI.

In creating this showcase, Samsung collaborated with the visionary Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, whose ground-breaking work mirrors the remarkable spirit of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, constantly pushing boundaries and redefining possibilities. Inspired by Parisian Salons from the Age of Enlightenment, the space is designed to celebrate openness to new perspectives and possibilities through reflections and optical illusions that evoke feeling of openness, harmony and connection.

“The entire space is designed to celebrate Samsung’s commitment to openness,” said Jean Nouvel. “The abstract graphic façade captures the reflections of movements and lights that appear and disappear in an instant, while the matte, reflective white mirrors in the lobby invite discovery of latest innovations.”

The Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung | Champs-Elysees 125 was inaugurated with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by TM Roh, Team Samsung Galaxy ambassadors including French surfer Joanne Defay, UK breakdancer Karam Singh, and French Para-swimmer Ugo Didier; Anne-Sophie Voumard, Television and Marketing Services Managing Director for the IOC, Pierre Rabadan, Deputy Mayor in charge of Sport, Olympic and Paralympic Games for the City of Paris and Étienne Thobois, Director General of the Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We’re excited to see our shared values celebrated for these ‘Games wide open’ at this Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung,” said Anne-Sophie Voumard, Managing Director, IOC Television and Marketing Services. “Samsung has played a huge part in elevating the Olympic Games’ fan experience through their innovative technology over the decades, and we’re impressed to see them take it to the next level with this showcase as well as through many ways they will support staging of the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games here in Paris.”

The Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung, located at 125 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, will open its doors to the public on 03 May and run until October 31, from 10:00am-20:00pm on Monday-Saturday and 11:00am-20:00pm on Sundays. It will host a series of special events over the course of the summer and will be open to anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

In addition to the showcase located at Champs-Élysées, Samsung will open up additional Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung spaces around the city of lights and its surroundings, including the Olympic Park, the Olympic & Paralympic Village, and the Main Press Centre, as well as Samsung Galaxy Charging Stations at key Olympic and Paralympic Games venues, where visitors will get to experience the latest Galaxy innovations. Check out Samsung’s “Open always wins” campaign on Samsung’s YouTube channel:

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 23 July 2021 – This July, the world’s greatest athletes will fire up the Olympic spirit as they compete in Tokyo for the 2020 Games, starting 23 July to 8 August 2021. Ahead of this journey Samsung announced an exciting new campaign involving the public and athletes. Samsung has been a mobile technology partner to the Olympics for 30 years and is committed to continuing the legacy of enabling meaningful connections through innovative technologies. The #StrongerTogether campaign is based on the power of technology and human connection to create a shared commitment to diversity and inclusion. To bring this concept to life, Samsung, in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will launch the project, where Olympic athletes and fans stay connected and enjoy a virtual walk together via the Samsung Health app. The brand hopes this will inspire consumers to unlock their potential, and not only to feel and share the excitement, but also to create it.

Samsung aims to spread the Olympic spirit through our innovative products, enabling all fans around the world to stay connected and share the excitement of the Olympic movement,” said Dudu Mokholo, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Africa. “We are proud to extend our involvement as it is meaningful to us to inspire people through the passion that lies behind the Games and contribute to a healthier life for all. This is also an exciting moment for South Africans to rally behind our talented athletes as they go for gold”.

How the #StrongerTogether Challenge works
• People around the world and South Africa, influencers and athletes, will be invited to walk together ‘virtually’ in a challenge powered by the Samsung Health App
• Participants’ steps will be accumulated during the challenge period
• There will be milestone pop-ups in the Samsung Health app and special digital badges for goal achievers
• South Africans are encouraged to participate and look out for the #StrongerTogether hashtag as they proudly support local athletes

On your Samsung device > Go to Samsung Health app > Click Together tab icon > Click Challenge card> and join the movement!

The ultimate aim is to remind people to stay stronger and united as global citizens through the power of human connection and technology, in a celebration of cultural diversity. It echoes the Olympic theme of Striving For Your Personal Best.

“Samsung, as a proud Olympics partner will showcase how innovative Galaxy technology including the power of 5G and intelligent health-focussed innovations can change lives for the better. We’re pleased to offer technology that is available to all and exclusive to none,” concludes Mokholo.

The announcement was made in Seoul, Korea, at a signing ceremony with IOC President Thomas Bach and Jay Y. Lee, Vice Chairman at Samsung; IOC Marketing Commission Chair Tsunekazu Takeda; Dong Jin Koh, President and CEO of the IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics; and Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President, Samsung.

Samsung will continue as the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the wireless communications equipment and computing equipment category, including the ability to promote the Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and 5G features of that equipment. As part of the agreement, the IOC and Samsung will further develop their strategic digital collaboration to engage young generations around the world in order to promote the power of sport and the values of Olympism.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “I am delighted that we will be building on two decades of partnership with Samsung for another 10 years. Over this time, we have built a partnership combining Olympic excellence and Samsung’s industry-leading wireless communications technology. Together, we are able to connect with and inspire Olympic athletes and fans around the world and we look forward to working with Samsung to build the digital future of the Olympic Games.”

Tsunekazu Takeda, IOC Marketing Commission Chair, Thomas Bach, IOC President, Jay Y. Lee, Vice Chairman at Samsung Electronics, and Dong Jin Koh, President and CEO of IT&Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics, pose for a photo after a signing ceremony to extend their global partnership through to the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (from right)

Cambridge Mokanyane, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung South Africa, said: “As a Worldwide Olympic Partner for the last 22 years, Samsung has been inspired by the spirit of hope, friendship and unity. Through our innovative wireless and computing equipment which are able to support AI, VR, AR and 5G technology, we hope to spread the excitement of the Games so that fans and athletes around the world can stay connected and share in the journey to achieve greatness at the highest level of sportsmanship.”

IOC Marketing Commission Chair Tsunekazu Takeda said: “Samsung is a global success story and a brand recognised around the world. Samsung understands and promotes the Olympic values through technology and marketing campaigns that help break down barriers and engage new audiences. From a commercial perspective, our extension with Samsung to 2028 builds on the long-term agreements reached recently with existing and new Partners, and demonstrates the long-term strength and appeal of our marketing programmes.”

Samsung will continue its support beyond the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and will support every edition of the Olympic Games through to Los Angeles 2028, as well as all the Youth Olympic Games through to 2028. Samsung will also continue to support the IOC, the National Olympic Committees and their teams. Samsung’s first Games as a Worldwide TOP Partner were the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998. Samsung will also continue as a Worldwide Partner of the International Paralympic Committee, extending a relationship that began in 2006.

In collaboration with the IOC and the Organising Committees, Samsung plans to continue its Athlete Phone Programme. This programme provides Limited Olympic Edition Galaxy phones to all participating Olympic and Paralympic athletes to enhance the athletes’ Games-time experience, help them stay in touch with their family and friends, and capture and share their journeys

Samsung Electronics, Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications and Computing Equipment category, is bringing technological innovations to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 through interactive experiences at the new Samsung Olympic Showcases. Samsung will encourage fans and athletes to “Do What You Can’t” through fun, immersive experiences across multiple Samsung Olympic Showcases.

Throughout the Olympic Winter Games, a total of nine Samsung Olympic Showcases – featuring a mix of cultural, technological and immersive fan experiences – will be in PyeongChang and Gangneung, including Olympic Parks and the Olympic Villages, the Main Press Centre and four at the Incheon International Airport. Samsung Olympic Showcases @ PyeongChang Olympic Plaza and @ Gangneung Olympic Park will provide visitors with engaging experiences incorporating Samsung’s legacy of breakthrough innovation and interactive activities powered by Samsung technology.

Athletes and fans will first experience the Samsung brand history and heritage in engineering, design and craftsmanship and then the partnership history with the Olympic Games. Through interactive experiences, visitors will be able to feel the exhilaration and escape into real-world thrills in winter sports through VR, including snowboarding, as well as participate in alpine and cross-country skiing contests that will challenge fans’ fitness capacity. For the first time, visitors will be able to experience the ‘Mission to Space VR: A Moon for All Mankind’ created by Samsung. Visitors will experience a full space mission including mission briefing, trying on the training suits and helmets and the truly immersive experience in the Moon rig where they will feel lunar gravity with every step.

“For two decades as a Worldwide Olympic Partner, Samsung has connected fans, visitors and athletes from around the world with our latest technological innovations, which have now evolved to also include immersive experiences,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics. “We’re delighted to share Samsung’s latest mobile technologies and products, so fans and athletes can enjoy new, unique experiences while at the Olympic Winter Games.”

“Over the course of our longstanding partnership, Samsung has brought new experiences and technology advancements to each Olympic Games,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Samsung helps to make each and every one an exciting and meaningful experience for all.”

Visitors will experience and engage with Samsung’s products and Galaxy brand through a variety of activities through a comfortable, interactive environment, including:

• Immersive VR Experiences: Unique VR experiences powered by the Galaxy Note8 will allow fans to escape into exhilarating moments on the fresh mountain slopes in snowboarding and skeleton as well as escape to space in Mission to Space VR: A Moon for All Mankind’ – available to consumers to experience for the first time. Other experiences include simulated skiing adventures.
• Playful Experiences: Promoting the playful side of technology, Portrait Pool allows visitors to turn their “selfies” into painted characters for social sharing, S Pen Gallery to create own portraits with Galaxy Note8 and S pen as a paint brush, Infinity Moment to create user generated content with the Galaxy Note8.
• Kids Lounge: A dedicated kids lounge in a hands-on zone, where kids can play, learn and explore Samsung products and expand their creativity through hands-on experience.
• Smart Home (IoT): Multi Device and futuristic demos powered by mobile technology that showcase the IoT, helping visitors to imagine the future lifestyle.
• Unbox Samsung: The journey of ‘Unbox Samsung’ where visitors can experience the Living History of Samsung since 1988 when the first mobile phone was launched.
• Purchase and Customer Service: Visitors will also be able receive customer service and make purchases of the mobile products and its accessories.
• Interact and Relax: Within lounges and in the Cultural Community where various lifestyle programs will take place as well as in the Café where food and beverages will be available for purchase using Buddy Points acquired during the interactive experiences.
• Special Events: A series of events will take place at the Samsung Olympic Showcase to enhance the Olympic Winter Games experience including athlete visits and celebrating holiday moments.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 25 January, 2018 – With about two weeks to go until the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, Samsung Electronics, Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment and Computing Equipment category, unveiled the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games Limited Edition. To further extend its Olympic legacy of supporting athletes and the Olympic family, Samsung will provide the exclusive devices, which are a special edition of the Galaxy Note8, as encouragement to do bigger things at the Olympic Winter Games, while also helping maintain real-time connections and capturing and sharing memories with those near and far.

In collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the PyeongChang Organising Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG), Samsung will deliver over 4,000 devices to all Olympians as well as the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic family, including IOC and POCOG staff allowing them to lean on Samsung mobile technology to enhance their experiences and connect more conveniently. The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games Limited Edition will include the bold new features of the Galaxy Note8, such as the innovative bezel-less 6.3-inch Infinity Display that fits comfortably in one hand, enhanced S Pen for efficient productivity and Samsung’s best-in-class Dual Camera. Exclusively for the Games, the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games Limited Edition will showcase a shiny white back glass to celebrate the winter theme and gold Olympic rings – inspired by the Olympic Torch – an expression of the Olympic Movement with the union of five continents and unity worldwide.

“Throughout our 20-year legacy as an Olympic partner, Samsung has showcased our support of the Olympic Movement by helping spread the Olympic Spirit and enhance connections through our latest technological innovations and immersive experiences,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics. “We’re proud to provide the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games Limited Edition to all athletes in an effort to help them to stay connected, capture and share one of the most memorable moments of their lives.”

The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games Limited Edition will feature celebratory pre-loaded PyeongChang 2018 themed wallpapers, allowing recipients to stay connected in style through Samsung’s most advanced mobile technology. As an added element, useful apps will be pre-installed to help cultivate the utmost Olympic Games experience.

“Samsung’s commitment to the Olympic Movement has increasingly enabled meaningful connections through innovative mobile technologies over the past 20 years,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Samsung’s creation of an Olympic Games Limited Edition device reinforces Samsung and IOC’s shared desire to spread the Olympic spirit. It’s because of dedicated partners like Samsung that we’re in the position to provide unforgettable experiences at the Olympic Games time after time.”

Samsung to Provide Galaxy Note8 to Paralympians

Displaying commitment to the Paralympic Movement, Samsung will provide smartphones to all Paralympians at the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. Each Paralympian will receive the Galaxy Note8 along with cases that feature the Paralympic Games logo and be exposed to how breakthrough mobile technologies can help make the digital world more accessible for those with disabilities. Samsung has been a World Paralympic Partner since the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010 and an advocate for the Paralympic Movement striving to inspire the spirit of progress and the human challenge ever since.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Olympic Games

Samsung began its Olympic Games involvement as a local sponsor of Olympic Games Seoul 1988. Beginning with Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998, 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 and mobile devices. These innovative mobile technologies provide the Olympic Community, athletes and fans around the world with interactive communications and information services, 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 PyeongChang 2018, and Tokyo 2020 in the Wireless Communications Equipment and Computing Equipment category.