After the Winter Games in Italy, Samsung strengthens its connected Olympic story toward Los Angeles 2028
After the conclusion of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Samsung clearly indicated that it will continue directing its Olympic communication strategy toward LA28, the next major global edition of the Games in the United States of America. According to a post by Samsung’s global newsroom, in Italy the company connected athletes, fans, media and organizers through a combination of specially customized Galaxy devices, artificial intelligence, wearable cameras and services during the competition. In that way, Milano Cortina 2026 was more than a sponsorship appearance for Samsung: it served as a kind of technological test for what the company wants to develop by the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
From phones for athletes to live broadcasting
The central part of Samsung’s appearance at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games was the Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition, a special edition of the device which, according to Samsung, was received by almost 3,800 Olympians and Paralympians. The device was designed as an everyday digital tool for athletes, not merely as a promotional gift. The company states that it combined functions for communication, translation, recording, photo editing, schedule tracking and access to information related to life in the Olympic Village and the competition program.
Samsung particularly highlighted the Interpreter function, powered by Galaxy AI technology, which enables real-time translation of conversations. For an international competition with thousands of athletes, team members and volunteers, such a function has practical value because it reduces language barriers in everyday communication. According to the same source, the device also included Dual Recording for simultaneously recording the user’s reactions and surroundings, Photo Assist for faster photo editing and Now Brief for personalized daily notifications, reminders and calendar information.
An important part of Samsung’s strategy was also the so-called Victory Selfie. According to the company’s post, at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games this practice became an official part of medal ceremonies in all Olympic and Paralympic competitions. After stepping onto the podium, medalists could take shared photos with the Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition device, turning the traditional medal ceremony protocol into a digitally shareable moment. Samsung presents this function as a combination of a ceremonial sporting moment and the modern way in which athletes themselves record and share their own experiences.
Mobile devices in television production
Samsung’s appearance was not limited only to devices distributed to athletes. The company states that, in cooperation with Olympic Broadcasting Services, the official Olympic production body, it integrated 26 Galaxy S25 Ultra devices into the broadcast of the Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony. These devices were positioned in the athletes’ entrance tunnels, in the stands and at dynamic filming positions in order to offer viewers additional angles and more immediate shots from areas that are otherwise harder to cover with classic television infrastructure.
Such an approach shows the direction in which sports broadcasts are increasingly developing. Major events no longer rely only on standard cameras, directing and a studio signal, but are trying to bring viewers closer to the atmosphere on the ground through mobile, wireless and flexible image sources. For Samsung, this is important because it demonstrates the capabilities of its commercial devices in a demanding professional environment. For the Games organizers, meanwhile, it is a way to offer a global audience, which increasingly follows events across multiple screens and platforms, content that looks closer to the participant experience than to a classic television broadcast.
Samsung’s post also connects the Italian experience with Los Angeles 2028. The company states that it will continue developing the Olympic and Paralympic experience through new perspectives, new technologies and new generations of users, with the message that connectivity will remain at the center of the Games through LA28. This does not mean that all details of Samsung’s future solutions for Los Angeles are already known, but it shows that the company is strategically preparing for Games that, because of their spatial dispersion and the digital expectations of the audience, will have extremely complex communication needs.
The partnership with the IOC lasts until Los Angeles
Samsung’s Olympic story has a long institutional background. According to the International Olympic Committee, Samsung is a global Olympic partner in the category of wireless communications and computing equipment, and the partnership extends until 2028. Samsung first became a worldwide Olympic partner at the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games, while its cooperation with the International Paralympic Committee has been developing since 2006. In the announcement on extending the partnership, Samsung and the IOC particularly emphasized the development of digital cooperation, including artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality and 5G features.
According to Samsung’s 2018 announcement, the company retained the right to promote artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and 5G technology features within the Olympic partnership category. The same document stated that the program of special Galaxy devices for Olympic and Paralympic athletes would also continue. It is precisely this program that received its latest edition in Milan and Cortina, and it is logical to expect that a similar format, with possible new functions and devices, will be part of preparations for Los Angeles 2028, although the final details for LA28 have not been officially announced.
For Samsung, the Olympic partnership is useful because it enables the presentation of technology in an exceptionally visible, global and emotionally powerful context. For the Olympic movement, it brings technological infrastructure and communication tools intended to make the Games experience easier for athletes, teams and the audience. Such cooperation is becoming increasingly important because the Games have become a media and digital event as much as a sporting one. The audience expects instant information, short videos, behind-the-scenes access, personalized notifications and content that can be shared on social platforms.
LA28 as the biggest connectivity test
The Olympic Games in Los Angeles will be held from July 14 to 30, 2028, while the Paralympic Games are scheduled from August 15 to 27, 2028, according to the official announcement by the LA28 organizing committee. Los Angeles will thus host the Olympic Games for the third time, after 1932 and 1984, while the Paralympic Games will be held in that city for the first time. The sheer size of the event and the geographical layout of the competitions already create a different challenge from Games organized in a more compact urban space.
According to announcements by LA28 and Olympic sources, competitions will be held at more than 40 sports and other locations across the wider Los Angeles area and beyond. The organizers emphasize that the plan relies on existing and temporary venues, without the need to build new permanent sports arenas. Such a model is in line with contemporary Olympic guidelines on sustainability and legacy, but at the same time it increases the importance of reliable digital coordination. When venues, media centers, accommodation, transport points, volunteer services and security systems are spread over a large area, connectivity becomes the operational foundation of the event.
In that context, Samsung’s message about a “connected” Olympic experience fits into the broader picture of LA28. Connectivity will not mean only mobile phones in the hands of athletes or fans, but also communication between organizers, broadcasters, services, sales systems, tickets, applications, information points and production teams. According to T-Mobile’s announcement, as the official telecommunications services provider for LA28, the Games will take place across more than 110 connected locations, including more than 40 competition venues. Although T-Mobile is responsible for the telecommunications infrastructure, Samsung’s role in devices and user experience shows how several technology partners will jointly shape the digital experience of the Games.
What Samsung wants to achieve by 2028
Samsung’s strategy toward LA28 can be read on three levels. The first is athletic: devices and services should make it easier for athletes to communicate, navigate schedules, access official information and share personal stories. The second is media-related: mobile devices and wireless solutions can expand the ways of filming, especially in moments when classic cameras cannot easily capture the immediacy of an event. The third is fan-oriented: the audience expects content that is fast, visual, interactive and adapted to the mobile way of following major competitions.
In Milan and Cortina, Samsung has already shown elements of such an approach. Victory Selfie turns an official ceremony into content that athletes can personally shape and share. Galaxy AI functions target everyday problems of an international event, such as translation, organization and fast content editing. The integration of Galaxy S25 Ultra devices into the broadcast of the opening ceremony shows that mobile technology is increasingly being used as part of professional production as well, and not only as a consumer add-on.
For Los Angeles, the challenge will be greater because the audience, partners and organizers will expect an even more developed digital layer. LA28 is already being presented as an event that wants to combine sport, technology, culture and the entertainment industry of Southern California. This creates space for more advanced mobile functions, personalized information, faster content sharing, improved accessibility and new ways of following competitions remotely. At the same time, technological partners will be required to provide reliability, security and clear organizational integration, because major sporting events do not allow improvisation when it comes to communication and data transmission.
Digital legacy more important than promotion itself
Although Samsung undoubtedly strengthens the visibility of its own brand through the Olympic partnership, the significance of such projects goes beyond classic promotion. The Olympic and Paralympic Games serve as a global laboratory for technologies that can then spread into sport, the event industry, tourism, media and public services. If the Games show that mobile devices can reliably serve as part of a production system, a translation tool or a digital guide for participants, similar models can also be applied at other major events.
For athletes, such technology is increasingly part of everyday life. During major competitions, they do not compete only on the field, but also communicate with fans, families, sponsors and media. Special Olympic devices are therefore no longer just a symbol of participation, but also a practical tool for managing the public and private parts of sporting life. For fans, meanwhile, what matters is the possibility of getting closer to the event even when they are not in the stadium, whether through official broadcasts, short videos, podium photos or content published by the athletes themselves.
Samsung’s announcement directed toward LA28 therefore shows how the Olympic experience is gradually changing. The Games remain a sporting competition, but a complex digital ecosystem is growing around them in which devices, networks, applications, artificial intelligence and production tools are interconnected. Milano Cortina 2026 served as the latest display of that direction, while Los Angeles 2028 will be a much larger stage on which it will be seen how much the idea of “connected Games” can be turned into an everyday experience for athletes, audiences and organizers.
Sources:
- Samsung Global Newsroom – post on Samsung Galaxy technology at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the announcement of the direction toward LA28 (link)
- Samsung Global Newsroom – post on the extension of the partnership between Samsung Electronics and the International Olympic Committee until 2028 (link)
- International Olympic Committee – overview of Samsung’s status as a worldwide Olympic partner in the category of wireless communications and computing equipment (link)
- LA28 – official announcement of the dates of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 (link)
- Olympics.com – overview of the venue plan and the concept of using existing and temporary venues for LA28 (link)
- T-Mobile Newsroom – announcement on T-Mobile’s role as the official telecommunications services provider for LA28 (link)