BBC calls for 2012 London Olympics to be hi-tech

15:30 21st November 2008

The BBC has urged organisers of the 2012 Olympics to make full use of advances in digital media.

It hopes that by utilising IT professionals during the sporting spectacle audiences will be fully-immersed in the experience.

With the public expecting increasingly sophisticated media delivery it is essential that the Olympics meets expectation and showcases the very latest in cutting-edge technology to demonstrate the UK's position as a leader in media technology.

Ben Gallop, head of interactive at BBC Sport, commented: "It's all about making the Olympics a participatory event. It's about making it accessible and reflecting the diversity of the UK as a whole and, in particular, the cosmopolitan nature of London as a great world city."

He added that IT specialists should join forces with the media as well as the public sector to ensure that the event receives maximum exposure and enlists full public support.

Mr Gallop was speaking at the Westminster eForum Keynote Seminar: Beyond Beijing - Media Technology at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and other Major Sporting Events, which discussed the extent of media technology used at the Beijing Olympics and the lessons that can be learned from the 2008 experience.