French IT services firm Atos Origin has extended its contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to serve as the IT systems integrator for the Games. The contract now covers Vancouver in 2010, London in 2012, the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in 2014 in Russia and the Olympic Games in 2016.
The company claims that its role as IT systems integrator for the games in Salt Lake City in 2002, Athens in 2004, Turin in 2006 and Beijing in 2008 helped it secure the contract extension.
Atos previously integrated, managed and secured the IT systems during the games, enabling competition results and information about athletes to be relayed to spectators and media outlets within 0.3 seconds.
Extending the contract for four more years expands the relationship between Atos and the Olympic Movement to over 20 years. It is claimed to be the largest sports related information technology contract ever awarded.
Atos Origin, our long-term partner, is the brains behind the technology operations for the Olympic Games, consistently delivering high-quality services on schedule. The Beijing Olympic Games were spectacular and Atos Origin provided a crucial role in ensuring the success of the event from a technological perspective, and in making sure that the IT systems functioned perfectly. We are confident that Atos Origin will once again deliver an outstanding job for future Games”, said Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee.
Thierry Breton, Chairman and CEO of Atos Origin, said: “We are particularly proud of our long-term partnership with the International Olympic Committee – a relationship based on enduring trust. As part of our mission for the Olympic Games, we are committed to delivering excellence and will continue to further improve our service from one Olympiad to the next. Managing this highly complex project and co-ordinating all the necessary cutting-edge technologies requires exceptional expertise to combine processes, technologies and the skills of both our staff and of other partners.”
