Olympics

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  • Beto Barata/AFP/Getty Images)

    Google Maps takes you inside Rio de Janeiro's Olympic venues

    Google Maps adds indoor views of major attractions on the regular. Ahead of this summer's Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, the company is taking you inside the 25 indoor venues that will host sporting events in a few weeks. There are "enhanced views" of the 12 outdoor venues as well, with maps for these stadiums and arenas showing locations for restrooms, concession stands, info desks and ATMs. Real-time transit info for the Brazilian city was added to Google Maps recently, so if you're traveling to the games, you'll have a familiar guide. If you're not making the trip, you can still scope out where the games will be held from the comforts of home.

    Billy Steele
    05.03.2016
  • The UK wants to make an olympics for eSports

    The UK is throwing its weight behind a plan to launch an international sporting event that'll mirror the olympics, but for eSports. The eGames is a tournament backed by the government which will invite players from around the world to compete at various challenges. The successful eAthlete (or eAthletes) will be eligible to win medals, although no prize money will be handed out, much like the real Olympic Games. A handful of countries have already signed up, including Britain, Canada, Brazil and the US, and the first event will take place in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Games. The two-day competition will be used as a showcase in the hope of encouraging more players from other countries to sign up.

    Daniel Cooper
    04.06.2016
  • Getty Images

    Some Olympic events will air in 8K and VR this year

    Even though 4K content is only now arriving, parts of the 2016 Rio games in August will be shot in 8K video and virtual reality. The Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) confirmed that it will air around 130 hours of the Super Hi-Vision video (7,680 x 4,320) with 22.2 channel surround sound in Japan only. Coverage will include the opening and closing ceremonies, along with sports including judo, football, swimming and basketball. However, VR footage, including the opening and closing ceremonies and select sports, will be available to viewers around the world, whether they have headsets or not.

    Steve Dent
    03.08.2016
  • Getty

    BBC to retain Olympics coverage until at least 2024

    The BBC has broadcast coverage of the Olympic Games for countless decades, but that legacy was put under threat last summer. While the BBC already had the 2016, 2018 and 2020 Olympics locked up, Discovery (which owns Eurosport) stumped up the best part of £1 billion to secure exclusive European rights up to and including the 2024 Summer Games. Both parties have just announced a mutually beneficial deal, however, that will see the BBC continue to provide free coverage across both the 2022 and 2024 Olympics.

    Jamie Rigg
    02.02.2016
  • BBC loses the rights to the Olympics

    Think of the Olympics and you'll likely remember catching some action on the BBC. The Beeb has helped televise the Games since 1948 and delivered more coverage than ever before in 2012, but from 2020, it may no longer be involved. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today that it has struck a £922 million deal with Discovery for the rights to the 2018-2024 Summer and Winter Games, meaning Eurosport will become the default place for all things Olympics related.

    Matt Brian
    06.29.2015
  • Rob Pardo argues that the Olympics should include e-sports

    E-sports should totally be a part of the Olympics. Or so said former Blizzard CCO Rob Pardo in a BBC interview. "Video games are well positioned to be a spectator sport," Pardo said. "There's a very good argument for e-sports being in the Olympics. I think the way that you look at e-sports is that it's a very competitive skillset and you look at these professional gamers and the reflexes are lightning quick and they're having to make very quick decisions on the fly." Pardo conceded that championing e-sports in Olympics might come down to the age-old argument of whether a sport must include physical activity or simply skill-based competition.

    Justin Olivetti
    12.28.2014
  • Should Warcraft be an Olympic sport?

    Professional e-sports exist and can draw in significant interest - people watch streams on Twitch, top players can earn significant money, and we've seen people come out to watch them at places like BlizzCon and the Worldwide Invitational. But is it really a sport, and should we be seeing it in the Olympics? Rob Pardo, former chief creative officer at Blizzard, argues yes in this interview with the BBC. In the interview, Pardo discusses the physical and mental ability of some of the best players in the world, how many decisions they made in a short period of time, as well as the draw of the games as a spectator sport. To be fair, he's mostly talking about games like Starcraft, but his other point about games and cultural definition as to what is and isn't a sport seems more likely to hamper gaming at an Olympic level than anything else. It's just not very common for an activity that takes place in front of a computer to be seen as a sport. For the complete interview, head over to the BBC.

    Matthew Rossi
    12.26.2014
  • NBC's $7 billion Olympics deal will keep the games tied to cable TV until you're old

    We hope you love how NBC handles its Olympic Games broadcasts, because it just locked up broadcast rights on TV, internet and mobile devices until 2032. NBC previously outbid rivals from ABC/ESPN and Fox with a $4.38 billion offer for the broadcast rights through 2020, and the new extension runs things out for twelve more years at a price of $7.65 billion, with a tiny $100 million signing bonus "for the promotion of Olympism" between 2015 and 2020. The good news, is that NBC has at least seen the light on live broadcasting, and made all the events (except for the Opening Ceremony) available for viewing as they happened on the internet or TV during the 2014 Winter Games. Of course -- rather predictably since NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast -- it's still tying access to those internet streams to having a cable or satellite TV subscription, and it seems unlikely that will change any time soon. [Image credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]

    Richard Lawler
    05.07.2014
  • Must See HDTV for the week of February 11th: Winter Olympics, House of Cards

    For the next couple of weeks it will be all-Winter Olympics, all the time, but what about TV that's not curling, speed skating and some combination of skiing and shooting? Fans of Netflix's House of Cards have had Valentine's Day circled for quite a while now, since that's when season two will make its streaming debut. Non-Olympic sports fans have NBA All-Star weekend and the beginning of Daytona 500 qualifying to look forward to, while games can check out World of Tanks on Xbox 360 and Far Cry Classic on Xbox 360 and PS3. Check after the break for trailers plus our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.

    Richard Lawler
    02.11.2014
  • You're going to be hearing a lot about 'iPod' on tonight's Olympics broadcast

    Note: This article contains spoilers regarding the snowboarding competition at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, which has not yet aired in some regions. If you want to watch the broadcast and pretend it's live, stop reading now. Really not kidding, there are spoilers below. Don't keep reading. In fact, we're going to put some of the spoilers in white text so you're less likely to see them -- if you really want to see them, select the text. If you spend some time watching NBC's Olympics broadcast tonight you're probably going to hear plenty about "iPod." In fact, "iPod" is now an Olympic medalist in the sport of snowboarding -- more specifically in the halfpipe event. You see, "iPod" is actually Swiss Olympian Iouri Podladtchikov, and he took home the gold medal, with two-time gold medalist Shaun White getting shut out of the podium, landing in fourth place. (That's where the spoilers are. Last chance to skip them.) As TV announcers and sports writers tend to do, they've given Podladtchikov a funky nickname. In this case it's the rather fitting moniker "iPod," and since he was so successful, they're sure to be talking about him quite a bit tonight. So when you hear NBC's commentators musing about how skilled an Apple music player is on halfpipe (as opposed to the pan pipes), now you know why. [Photo credit: Matthew Pearce]

    Mike Wehner
    02.11.2014
  • Russian authorities only accept real money

    Now that the good people of Russia have been robbed of untold billions to fund corruption at the Sochi Olympics, their government would like to warn them of a much more serious danger: Bitcoin. The crypto-currency could easily lose its value, according to a statement from the country's central bank, and could draw citizens into unintentionally supporting illegal activity and "financing terrorism." In keeping with the tough stance adopted by China and India, but in contrast to the more laid back attitude taken in some other parts of the world, Russia's General Prosecutor's Office has also chimed in to describe Bitcoin as a prohibited "money substitute." It has reiterated that the country's only officially accepted currency is the rouble, preferably in a plain brown envelope.

    Sharif Sakr
    02.10.2014
  • Breakfast Topic: Olympic WoW

    Even if you're not following the sports, there's no way you could miss that the Olympics are happening. Who would want to miss a worldwide spectacle of heroes and some of the finest athletes on the planet? They're beautiful, amazing, and downright breathtaking. They're also a big interruption to a busy schedule of dailies, farming, and raiding. Of course, we're pretty deep in a pre-expansion lull, so that interruption isn't nearly as bad as it could be. (Thanks to Blizzard for not dropping Warlords in the middle of the Olympics.) Still, if you're trying to wrap up some goals, these Olympic fever could be pretty frustrating. At least you have plenty of random commentary and chatter during which you can squeeze in a little farming time. Are you playing WoW during the Olympics? Are they playing on a second screen? Have you had to cancel a raid or take a brief break to see one more ski run? Has the games had any effect on your game at all?

    Michael Gray
    02.10.2014
  • Inhabitat's Week in Green: floating cities, vegetable synthesizer and a syringe that seals gunshot wounds

    Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. All eyes turned to Russia last week as the Winter Olympics kicked off in Sochi. The opening ceremony took place in the Fisht Olympic Stadium, a venue designed by Populous that was inspired by Fabergé eggs. But despite promises that this year's games would be zero-waste, environmental groups have countered that the event won't live up to its green claims. In other green design news, Paris is planning to turn abandoned underground metro stations into restaurants, auditoriums and even underground swimming pools. In London, a series of impressive origami-inspired pavilions popped up in Canary Wharf. In Abu Dhabi, Inhabitat obtained some exclusive photographs of the Al Bahr Towers, which are cooled with the world's largest computerized façade. A new study suggests that white roofs are actually more effective at fighting climate change than green roofs, but planning for climate change will require more than just a coat of white paint. Some prominent thinkers are suggesting that as ocean levels rise, we will be forced to build floating cities -- or at the very least, buildings that are better adapted to water.

    Inhabitat
    02.09.2014
  • Comcast is bringing its online Olympics coverage to Xfinity TV subscribers

    By its nature, conventional TV offers limited coverage of large sports events like the Olympics -- much to the chagrin of fans. Comcast's Xfinity TV subscribers won't have that problem with the Sochi Olympics, though. The cable giant is bringing its NBC Sports Live Extra app to X1 set-top box owners for the first time, giving them 1,000 hours of live Olympics video streams that would previously have required a desktop browser or a mobile app. Comcast is augmenting its regular coverage with recent technology as well. X1 users in some regions will get to watch prime-time coverage through Xfinity On Demand as soon as the programming begins, and all Xfinity TV customers can use SeeIt to switch to an Olympics broadcast when it's mentioned on Twitter. While we'd like to see the NBC app available through other TV providers, it's still good news for athletics enthusiasts who insist on big-screen viewing.

    Jon Fingas
    02.06.2014
  • Olympic athletes ordered to cover Apple logos during the games? and other news for Feb. 6. 2014

    Update: The story regarding the "request to cover Apple logos" during the Olympics turns out to be a miscommunication, and not an overall instruction. Macworld has the story. The International Olympic Committee is telling all athletes to cover Apple logos on any mobile devices they use throughout the 2014 Winter Olympics. You see, Samsung is a sponsor, and its agreement guarantees that athletes may not mention competitors or display competitors' logos during Winter Olympics. Samsung's request is nothing new. Virtually every Olympic sponsor has similar clauses in their sponsorship contracts. The official Olympic Charter states that athletes must comply or else risk "removal of accreditation and financial penalties" or even disqualifications. The specific clause is known as "Rule 40" and, needless to say, is quite controversial. The International Olympic Committee, however, says Rule 40 is a necessity because without sponsors, the games could not take place. In other news: Square-Enix has launched Final Fantasy VI for iOS devices. Square-Enix says that all the graphics were "painstakingly recreated" for mobile devices. The game costs US$15.99. Apple has removed the popular Blockchain Bitcoin app from the App Store. Blockchain allowed users to send and receive Bitcoins to each other. The developer says Apple told him it was withdrawn "due to an unresolved issue," but notes that Apple did not specify what the issue was and that the app has been in the App Store for two years already. Apple has posted a new video called "On The Runway" on its iPhone page. The video uses re-edited footage that was shot using the iPhone 5s at the Burberry Fashion Show in London last fall. Apple has confirmed on its website that it will open its first retail store in Brazil on February 15. The store will be in the VillageMall luxury shopping center located in the Barra da Tijuca borough of Rio de Janeiro.

  • With one day to go, the official NBC Olympics app is a bit of a mess

    The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics begin tomorrow, and if you haven't already seen the coverage from journalists who have arrived in Russia for the festivities, well, let's say there's a lot of work that clearly won't be done in time for tomorrow's opening ceremony. And it seems that same "unfinished" theme carries over to the official Olympics highlights and results app from NBC as well. The app is designed to be a one-stop shop for news from the games, and while I can't judge it on its promptness -- since there have been no results yet, of course -- the app has a number of issues. For starters, some of the images for the columns and video content are incorrectly cropped, leading to some squashed faces and otherwise ugly graphics. That's not really a deal-breaker, so we'll overlook it. Then there's the matter of the content itself not showing up after following a link from the front page of the app. Some stories seem to load fine, while others are simply nowhere to be found. You can click a teaser on the "What's Hot" list and get a blank page. That's a problem. On top of those two issues, there are all kinds of errors that pop up randomly on the top and bottom of the screen. I don't know what an "SSI file" is, but the app seems to have problems processing it. Oh, and there's a yellow bar at the bottom of the screen that reads "Base mobile - from 320px (20em) to 480px (30em)" which seems like some sort of formatting guide for the developers that was never taken out or cleaned up. All in all, it's kind of an embarrassing effort on NBC's part and definitely not worth downloading despite the fact that it's free. Unless they release the actual finished version, it'll remain a major disappointment.

    Mike Wehner
    02.05.2014
  • Visitors to Sochi Olympics should expect to be hacked (video)

    There's little question at this point that the logistics in Sochi, from hotel rooms to public infrastructure, are a mess, but one of the greatest threats to visitors is one they can't even see. According to NBC, it's a near-guarantee that connected devices are being watched by hackers within Russia, who use malware downloaded on smartphones and laptops to steal personal information. It can be assumed that visiting dignitaries, athletes and journalists face a particular risk when it comes to unauthorized access. NBC's Richard Engel came to Russia with brand-new gear littered with fake accounts, testing the waters while limiting exposure to his legitimate data and contacts. The "honeypot" was a success, with Engel's Galaxy S 4, Mac and Windows laptop all compromised within a day of arrival. If you're headed to Sochi (or anywhere else in Russia, for that matter), you should exercise extreme caution while browsing the web and opening email attachments. Hackers will likely need to get malware onto your machine in order to easily access files, but with deadline pressures and limited free time to surf online, it may be unreasonable to expect the majority of users to avoid falling victim to these attacks. In fact, many visitors may already be sharing their online movements with hackers, and with the exception of pulling the plug entirely, at this point there's little hope. According to NBC, the US State Department has informed Americans traveling to the Olympics that they should have "no expectation of privacy" while in Russia. And if a device is infected, it could continue transmitting information back to The Motherland long after tourists return home. At this point, clear tap water and a pillow on every bed may be the most some Olympics visitors can hope for.

    Zach Honig
    02.05.2014
  • Russian cosmonauts take the Olympic torch for its first spacewalk ahead of Sochi games

    Russia has already made Olympic history and the Sochi games don't start until February. Earlier today, two cosmonauts took the ceremonial red and silver-clad torch for its first space relay ahead of the 2014 winter session. Torches were taken into space by astronauts in 1996 and 2000, but neither of those relics made it out in the open. With the exception of a tether for keeping it close by, the Olympic symbol used on the six-hour walk was identical to the several thousand that will be in-hand on the ground. Perhaps Rio will enlist SpaceX or Virgin Galactic for the first space-bound torch relay in 2016 -- only time will tell.

    Billy Steele
    11.09.2013
  • Usain Bolt added as playable character in Temple Run 2

    The Temple Run series of games are some of the most popular casual games on the App Store, and while the simplicity of the titles can't be overstated -- running forward is really your main goal -- they offered developer Imangi Studios a chance to have some fun with one of the fastest humans around. And so, for a "limited time," Usain Bolt can be bought as a playable character in Temple Run 2. According to AllThingsD, Bolt was enthusiastic about his inclusion in the game, stating that people often joke that they'd like to play as the Olympic champion in a Temple Run title. Bolt's digital self is outfitted in his iconic gold and green Olympic garb and costs US$0.99. Oh, and he even performs the runner's trademark pose, because details matter.

    Mike Wehner
    08.01.2013
  • Over the Haste Cap: What keeps Olympic gold medalist Aries Merritt hurdling raids?

    You might imagine that an Olympic gold medalist and world record holder would take a competitive approach to gaming -- and in the case of hurdler Aries Merritt, you'd be absolutely right. Aries comes in over the haste cap both on the track and in Azeroth. Want to see how a true competitor tackles a game like World of Warcraft? Take a look at this guy's beastly activity feed: progression raiding, rep grinds, quest lines, rated battlegrounds, arena PvP, holiday events, maxed-out professions, pet battles, multiple characters at the level cap with more not far behind, farming, fishing -- even finding lore objects. This guy takes his DPS parses as seriously as he takes his world records. He dashes it all off in a good-natured, down-to-earth manner that makes talking shop about shadow priests feel as natural as ticking down the to-do list of a phone interview. Aries lets us look into the life of an Olympian with a glimpse of how his competitive spirit propels his gaming hobby, including how he maintains his world-class winning edge and how he got through a potentially devastating injury with career-saving advice from a guildmate. WoW Insider: One look at your character profile online, Aries, and it's obvious that you're really into WoW! Aries Merritt: Actually, I have three 90s. My lock is 90, and my mage. My priest is my main, who's 90. And I have my 87 paladin I'm working on probably next, and then my druid. I'm probably going to try to get everything up to 90 eventually, but I'm kind of slowing it down a little bit (laughs) because I'm starting back training.

    Lisa Poisso
    11.01.2012