USOC sponsor BMW yesterday announced it had completed the installation of a 3D video system that can track U.S. track and field athletes' velocity and performance in the long jump. The automotive company’s technology division spent a year developing the technology and U.S. Gold Medal-winning decathlete Bryan Clay recently tested it at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. Using advanced, stereo-vision technologies to track and measure the velocity, BMW developed a system that offers real-time analysis of three key areas of a long jump -- the horizontal approach velocity, vertical take-off velocity and take-off angle. Clay said, "In a sport where we measure things by hundredths of a second, this type of information and these type of programs are a huge benefit to us." The technology will stay in Chula Vista permanently, and it is exclusive to the U.S. Olympic team. Though BMW sponsors other national teams, no other team will have it. BMW is in talks with other NGBs about developing technology their athletes can use to support their training.
