- Title: Olympics broadcaster showcases drone innovations for 2026 Winter Games
- Date: 10th February 2026
- Summary: MILAN, ITALY (FEBRUARY 10, 2026) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) OLYMPIC BROADCASTING SERVICES CEO, YIANNIS EXARCHOS, SAYING: “FPV drones and the difference from the traditional big drones is that they are being actually piloted by, by pilots who wear, goggle devices, and they get into the actual reality of what they do. And in order to do and provide images which are inte
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: DRONES OBS WINTER OLYMPICS
- Location: MILAN & BORMIO, ITALY
- City: MILAN & BORMIO, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Europe,Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA004424110022026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Olympic Broadcasting Services is using first-person view drones and artificial intelligence to provide new perspectives for viewers of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The technology allows smaller, more agile drones to follow athletes closely, showing the speed and intensity of winter sports like never before.
"One other major innovation that's very visible is the intense use of first person view drones," Olympic Broadcasting Services CEO Yiannis Exarchos said on Tuesday (February 10).
The drones are being used in alpine skiing and indoor sports like speed skating to capture what he called "perspectives that the world has never seen before."
The FPV drones differ from traditional larger drones because they are piloted by operators wearing special goggles that provide a first-person view. Still photographs from alpine skiing events in Bormio show the small drones positioned close to athletes during downhill races and training sessions.
Exarchos explained that the drone pilots need deep knowledge of the sports they are filming. The pilot used for ski jumping is himself a former ski jumper who has taught the broadcasting team new ways to capture the sport based on his personal experience.
The Olympics broadcast operation is also using AI technology to speed up 360-degree replay systems, reducing processing time from several minutes to just five seconds for live television use.
(Production: Alex Fraser, Leonardo Benassatto) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Olympic restriction: Clip cannot be re-published without additional clearances from the IOC.