The tried and true idea of athletic competition, and more specifically, the Summer 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, are about to collide with the fast-evolving sector of Artificial Intelligence.
The collision is not unexpected, however. Back in April, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched its comprehensive strategy for AI and sports, titled The Olympic AI Agenda.
This strategy not only sets the stage for AI's role in enhancing athlete support but also seeks to reassure that AI is here to complement, not replace, human performance.
IOC President Thomas Bach emphasised this distinction during the launch event, affirming that AI's potential lies in augmenting athlete capabilities rather than supplanting them in essential aspects like athletic performance.
“In sport, the performance will always have to be delivered by the athlete. The 100 metres will always have to be run by an athlete – a human being,” he said.
The agenda was developed by the AI Working Group, which was composed of AI pioneers, academics, athletes and technology companies.
A comprehensive review of AI applications in sports was conducted by the group, focusing on areas where the IOC could lead the Olympic Movement and shape its future.
Bolstering cybersecurity for athletes
Among the many issues addressed during the AI group's discussions was Paris Olympics' efforts towards gender parity as well as the increasing online violence directed towards women in sports.
“Popular athletes, especially, face significant backlash if their performance on a given day doesn't meet expectations,” Sarah Walker, the Olympic silver medallist in BMX, IOC member, vice-chairwoman of the IOC Athletes' Commission, and member of the AI Working Group told The National.
Looking ahead to Paris 2024, the New Zealand BMX racer added that every athlete's social media will be monitored for hate comments, with AI technology promptly removing them before athletes can see them.
The committee is collaborating with a provider to implement extensive AI-driven coverage to create digitally secure environments during the Olympic Games, said Kirsty Burrows, head of Safe Sport Unit at the IOC during the launch event.
This includes utilising AI to monitor millions of data points in real time to detect and address targeted online abuse towards athletes and officials.
Speaking about the rapid advancements in the AI industry, Ms Walker, a member of the IOC since 2016, emphasised the importance for the committee to stay current and establish a strategy.
“I feel like the IOC is an organisation that if they don't do anything until a year or two from now, they're going to be so far behind, and trying to catch up is going to be hard for them,” she said.
Ms Walker reflected on the potential for both the positive impacts of AI as well as the altruistic goals of sport, to both be amplified with so many people turning their attention to the Olympic Games.
“AI could provide more opportunities for athletes to showcase the full capabilities of the human body,” she said, referring to the various AI implementations from technology and media companies throughout the games.
Talent scouting with AI
The IOC is utilising AI is to ensure that equal opportunities are presented to as many nations as possible across racial and economic lines, said Amit Joshi, Professor and AI Expert at IMD Business School, and member of the AI Working Group.
With AI's potential to identify talent from all corners of the world, Prof Joshi said that the future of diversity and inclusivity in sport is looking more hopeful than ever.
“There might be a dozen Michael Phelps running around in different parts of the world, but we will never know this because they've never had the opportunity to compete, and we have no way of identifying that these people can be elite,” Prof Joshi told The National.
However, partners for the Paris 2024 Olympics such as Intel Corporation and Samsung Electronics are helping to advance the identification process through their various AI endeavours and projects.
Together, the tech giants have deployed an AI-powered talent identification system that attendees can test at the Stade Da France, France's most prominent sports stadium, which has been transformed into the Olympic Stadium.
With Samsung's smartphones, tablets, computer vision technology and Intel's cloud-based AI, participants can perform various sports-related exercises and then receive Intel's suggestions on which Olympic sport they should pursue.
Intel piloted this initiative in Senegal with the Senegalese National Olympic Committee, where local youth who showed potential as athletes for the Youth Olympic Games scheduled for 2026 were identified.
“Now, with this technology, we could use it to provide more opportunities and accelerate their progress. This way, it's not only the typically wealthy nations with exceptional resources, infrastructure, and systems that excel,” Prof Joshi explained.
Voice clones and expedited video editing
Last month, American television network NBC announced that an AI-generated clone of the renowned sports broadcaster Al Michaels will narrate daily streaming recaps of the Summer Olympics.
It introduced Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock, a tool featuring narration from an AI recreation of Mr Michaels' voice.
This particular implementation of AI was trained using his previous NBC appearances to replicate his distinct delivery style.
“When I was approached about this, I was sceptical but obviously curious. Then, I saw a demonstration detailing what they had in mind. I said, 'I'm in.',” Mr Michaels said.
The tool also features 10-minute highlights packages, which include event updates, athlete backstories and other related content personalised by subscriber preferences.
The company said the highlights from 5,000 hours of live coverage in Paris could be packaged in 7 million ways, allowing broadcasters to focus on more critical tasks while AI features deliver customised recaps more efficiently.
Prof Joshi noted that the Olympics will run for 17 days, and hundreds of events will take place at the same time with different types of audiences, so this feature will be convenient for many who may miss an event due to time zone differences.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Results:
5pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600 metres
Winner: Dasan Da, Saeed Al Mazrooei (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
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6pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
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Winner: MH Tawag, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) | Dh70,000 | 1,400m
Winner: RB Inferno, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
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Winner: Juthoor, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
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Schedule:
Pakistan v Sri Lanka:
28 Sep-2 Oct, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
6-10 Oct, 2nd Test (day-night), Dubai
13 Oct, 1st ODI, Dubai
16 Oct, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
18 Oct, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi
20 Oct, 4th ODI, Sharjah
23 Oct, 5th ODI, Sharjah
26 Oct, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
27 Oct, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
29 Oct, 3rd T20I, Lahore
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
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Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Fixtures
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
FIXTURES
All games 6pm UAE on Sunday:
Arsenal v Watford
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester v Man United
Man City v Norwich
Newcastle v Liverpool
Southampton v Sheffield United
West Ham v Aston Villa
