SAP Sailing Analytics, a platform that delivers real-time SAP data analytics around race rankings, speeds, maneuvers, and bearings, among others, brought a different level of broadcasting and viewing experience during the Sailing competition at the Olympics 2020 in Tokyo.
An Olympics like no other, the Olympics 2020 defied the pandemic odds and pushed through in July 2021, almost a year after its original schedule. A first in its history, the Olympics Games were held in Tokyo without spectators to ensure strict compliance with Japan’s coronavirus restrictions. More than ever, cloud services and technology companies collaborated and brought the most awaited sports competition in the world into a new digital era, allowing billions of viewers to root for their countries in various sporting events.
In the Sailing competition, German software enterprise SAP and World Sailing, the governing body for the sport of sailing officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), partnered to deliver next-level viewing experiences for rights-holding broadcasters, their commentators, and fans around the world. Harnessing the capabilities of SAP Sailing Analytics, the media and the global sailing community had access to real-time data and analytics during sailing competitions at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Scott Over, World Sailing Commercial Director, said:
”The use of SAP Sailing Analytics to enhance the broadcast and viewing experience during the Olympic Games added richness and depth to the coverage, post-race analysis, and the same high quality ‘second-screen’ interaction the media and fans are accustomed to at World Sailing’s events. The partnership with SAP has allowed us to bring this feature to the Olympic Games and reach a global audience of millions. This really is a landmark achievement for the sport and we look forward to a widespread rollout across more of our activities in the coming months.”
SAP Data Analytics Delivering New Sailing Experiences
For the first time in the Olympics Sailing competition history, SAP Sailing Analytics premiered with new tools that provided in-depth insights and broader statistics, including a wind-based leader board for greater accuracy in-race that allowed the media and viewers to follow the races in real-time. Swiss Timing, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), SAP, and World Sailing worked together to deliver the upgrade, which was then distributed globally to Olympic broadcast rights holders and Member National Authorities. Over 30 Rights Holders, including BBC, ZDF, SkyNZ, Eurosport, and CBC, had access to more informed and detailed data and analysis through SAP Sailing Analytics that enabled them to deliver an enhanced digital experience for their viewers.
“Sailing has the potential to become a fully immersive experience for the viewer and a data-driven sport. Leveraging SAP Sailing Analytics to access real-time data allows audiences around the world to better understand and appreciate the sport, and we hope this will lead to further growth across sailing,” commented Alastair Fox, World Sailing Tokyo 2020 Technical Delegate & Event Director.
Notable Outcomes
SAP Sailing Analytics utilises cloud and in-memory technology, processes GPS and wind measurement data in real-time and visualises contents in various frontends accessible from anywhere, essentially providing comprehensive insights and transparency.
Here are some of the remarkable outcomes the Olympics 2020 achieved from utilising SAP Sailing Analytics:
- Broadcasters and commentators had access to live data utilised
- Rights holding broadcasters utilised widgets on their websites that provided users with real-time data such as wind speed/direction, boat speed, gaps between boats, and live rankings
- More than 250 million people worldwide watched sailing events during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, beating the figures released for Rio 2016
- Produced record-breaking engagement numbers for SAP with 450,000 unique users during Tokyo 2020
- Added transparency that improved the overall structure of the game
BBC sailing commentator Niall Myant explained that SAP Sailing Analytics gave him detailed insights into what was happening second-by-second and helped him better understand how winners win the competition. He said:
“This gives the opportunity to dig deeper into our sport with accuracy and the viewer gets the real story, and with it a deeper appreciation of why these athletes are the best in the world. More data isn’t enough, it needs to be collated and presented in the right form which SAP Sailing Analytics does. If you want to know who is gaining an edge over their rivals, it’s just a click away. In the past, we would shy away from the complexity of our sport, but with this system, it is easy to show just how much these athletes are doing to win.”
World Sailing and long-time partner SAP have a shared committment to deliver technology innovations at the Offshore World Championships and the Youth Sailing World Championships later this year and all international events in 2022.
