A 74-Year PartnershipOmega and the Olympic Winter Games
As the giant Omega Countdown Clock in Vancouver approaches the minus one year point in its steady march toward the Opening Ceremony on the 12th of February, 2010, Omega’s professionals are actively involved in preparations for the competition where, for the 24th time, the Swiss specialists will serve as Official Timekeepers at the Olympic Games. On the 12th of March, they will play the same role at the Paralympic Games.
At Omega’s first timekeeping assignment for the Olympic Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany in 1936, a lone Omega technician brought 27 stopwatches which were used to time each event at the Games. Seventy years later in Turin, Omega deployed 208 professionals – 127 timekeepers and 81 data handlers – armed with 220 tons of equipment. Those numbers will be exceeded at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games as Omega mobilises the largest timekeeping contingent in the history of winter sport.
Omega began its Olympic Games timekeeping tradition at the Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games. In addition to its prominent Olympic Games role, Omega has been behind many of the most important technological developments in all of sports timekeeping.
The Games in Vancouver will take place over a 17-day period beginning on the 12th of February. More than 5500 Olympic Winter Games athletes and officials from more than 80 countries will make it the largest Olympic Winter Games ever. The Paralympic Winter Games, for which Omega is also Official Timekeeper, start on the 12th of March and will continue for ten days. The Games’ organisers anticipate that the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will attract 1350 athletes and officials from more than forty countries.