Samsung mobile technology is to play a big part in the opening ceremony of this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris with more than 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra devices being installed on the boats that will carry 10,500 athletes from all the national delegations down the River Seine.

► High quality live images from delegation boats on the Seine

► More than 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra devices to be used

► Same tech will show close-ups of action from sailing contests

For the first time at an Olympics, the opening celebration will take place outside the arena. The Galaxy smartphones will be used to relay close-up images of athletes on the boats to the official broadcasters and online services during the ceremony. The devices will be mounted on specially-installed poles on the bow and sides of each of the 85 national delegation boats due to set off from the Austerlitz bridge in the east of Paris on 26 July. They will then sail westwards, passing many of the city’s most famous sites to join the grand finale at the Trocadéro, adjacent to the iconic Eiffel Tower.

The HDR footage they capture will give TV and online viewers an intimate glimpse of athletes’ reactions during this once-in-a-lifetime voyage. The signals will be relayed via more than a dozen 5G antennas positioned along the river. Samsung will also deploy the same technology for the sailing competitions in Marseille by installing the Galaxy S24 Ultra on each competition boat, giving fans a close-up view of the action.