While the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been taking place over the summer, many people have wondered if this year’s games will highlight to cities how much more effort needs to be done to make cities accessible.
And there really have been strides in inclusivity, even for viewers at home. This year, the Paralympic Games bring with them the first ever deaf host to provide sports coverage.
Additionally, the Olympic Village had a dedicated nursery for athlete parents to get both childcare and essential peaceful bonding moments with their children.
However, one huge change has been the inclusion of AI to make the Games more accessible, even when it comes down to transport.
HuffPost UK spoke exclusively with Sarah Vickers, Head of Intel’s Olympic and Paralympic Program to learn more about this innovative technology.
How accessibility improved at this year’s Games
Vickers explained that, while accessibility is at the forefront of this year’s games, it has always been a priority, it’s only now that we have the technology to advance it further.
“If you think about what we’re able to do using AI platforms now, that technology just wasn’t there, the computer power wasn’t there to be able to do that. Now, because of how technology and computers have advanced, I think we’re able to do more things.”
This hopeful revelation brings with it news of making even getting to the Games simpler for disabled people, providing more autonomy and guidance than was previously possible.
Vickers added that this technology has helped even the transition from the Olympic Games to the Paralympic Games: “If you think about before, [the transition] was kind of done in real time.
“You’d have somebody who had accessibility challenges say ‘this isn’t actually going to work’.”
Now, with their AI, they can model ahead of time, saving costs and providing assurance that all avenues for accessibility have been addressed.
“The technology has caught up to what the needs are.”
What this means for the future of Olympic and Paralympic Games
I asked Vickers what this could mean for future games and she actually revealed that the experts hope that this will be something we see everywhere, not just at major sporting events.
“If you have a disability... [the technology] gives you the comfort and independence that means you can plan better.”
Vickers added that she feels this is something that will become more widespread, people will demand it for other areas of their lives as once this technology has been experienced, they’ll hope for it elsewhere, too/
“The demands of the consumer are increasing with technology.”