• First-of-its kind initiative is part of a broader innovation package aimed at creating new value for athletes
• Award of media rights to athletes and National Olympic Committees marks another first for the Olympic movement

The European Olympic Committees’ (EOC) official technology partner Atos has revealed details of a pilot project that promises to revolutionise the award of medals at future editions of the European Games, creating new value for athletes.

As part of the pilot, all 7,000 athletes competing in the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 will receive a participation diploma as a personalised digital asset that can be downloaded from the official Games application. Medallists will also be able to download their medals minted in a unique, digital collectible form.

While the project uses Blockchain technology, the medals and diplomas issued through the pilot are not lodged on the Blockchain, meaning they cannot be monetized. However, the initiative is intended as a stepping-stone towards the award of monetizable NFT medals at future editions of the European Games and other EOC events.

The digital awards, which are presented in addition to the traditional, physical gold, silver and bronze medals, will provide athletes with verifiable and immutable proof of their achievements.

They are part of a raft of technological innovations being showcased at the European Games in an effort to create new value for European athletes and National Olympic Committees.

Other examples include the opportunity for athletes to access and post personalized highlight clips of their competition direct to their own social media channels via the Games mobile app.

In the first eight days of competition, more than 6,000 clips have been downloaded for sharing, with the content reaching an audience of 3.2 million via athlete channels.

The award of media rights to athletes, NOCs and European Federations is a significant innovation in the context of Olympic sport, enabled by a pioneering broadcast agreement with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which has also seen the Games broadcast in 40 countries worldwide, as well as on the official streaming platform www.europeangames.tv

EBU Executive Director of Eurovision Sport Glen Killane joined Hasan Arat, EOC Executive Committee Member and Chair of the EOC Coordination Commission for the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 and Nacho Moros, Chief Operating Officer of Atos Major Events, at a media event to discuss the athlete-centred innovation that is a feature of these Games.

Mr Hasan Arat thanked Atos and the EBU for their support in ensuring the European Games continue to lead and drive innovation on behalf of the Olympic Movement.

Hasan Arat said: “The European Games are all about providing opportunities for the National Olympic Committees and for European athletes. We are always looking for new ways to innovate and Krakow-Malopolska has continued our tradition of driving innovation for the Olympic Movement. The work we have done with our partners from Atos and EBU, reflected this approach.

“Historically the Olympic Movement helped the newspapers to tell the stories of the athletes, then it moved to the broadcasters to tell the stories and now we have added a third dimension, where we help the athletes to tell their own stories by providing them with video clips of their performances to share on their social media.

“This has only been possible because we put in the right framework with the EBU and because of Atos’ technology, as well as their team of 30 people working to clip up the highlights in the International Broadcasting Centre. I want to thank Atos and the EBU for their continued cooperation and for ensuring our partnerships are a success.”

Glen Killane said: “Giving athletes more freedom to exploit content where they are involved is the way forward because we have to be able to work hand-in-hand with athletes who are more connected, let’s be honest, to a younger generation than TV companies are.

“It’s really important to engage those audiences by sharing the content with the athletes. It’s for the betterment of all stakeholders and this has been the first step in that direction.

“We know there are sports fans in every market for every sport but in the past we haven’t been able to access those markets or access those fans across every market. This is really helping us to do that in tandem with the athletes.

“And if we can cross promote one another that would be even better because it is so difficult to cut through in the modern day TV/streaming business. You need every tool available to you to promote what you’re doing, to promote the sports, to promote the events and athletes play an absolutely critical role in that.

“The EOC has done a tremendous job in bringing all the sports together, particularly so many qualification events for Paris 2024, and I think that is the narrative we need to get out there.”

Nacho Moros added: “Our ambition is always deliver to the highest standard and then to also be at the edge of innovation. That is innovation serving two purposes: athletes and fans. Innovation is a tool to get young people involved in these kinds of games and we are very lucky here to cooperate with the EOC. They allow us the chance to innovate.

“When discussing with the EOC about creating something new for the athletes, we believed it was a good idea to create an NFT medal and diploma for all the athletes.

“They will receive this as a unique collectible that will last forever and this is the first time that this has been delivered at this kind of an event.”

The third edition of the European Games continues in Krakow-Malopolska until Sunday, 2 July.