The NATIONAL POST's Ted Wyman notes IOC TOP sponsor Omega, the official timekeeper of the Olympics, has 480 professional timekeepers in Rio, "along with 450 metric tonnes of equipment and 200 kilometres of cable." The company has a "presence at every Olympic sport, most notably in swimming and athletics, but also everything from golf to equestrian events." Omega Managing Dir Hans Gubler, who heads operations at the swimming venue, said, "The process started three years prior. We are involved in the design of the venues with the architects, consulting on room sizes and locations, with the organization for cabling, room sizes, room locations ... there's a lot of things that need to be done before our team actually comes in a couple of weeks before the Games" (NATIONAL POST, 8/4).
SPECIAL DELIVERY: The AP's Anderson & Nakashima note IOC TOP sponsor Samsung "is delivering a special" Rio Games edition of its Galaxy S7 Edge phone to 12,500 Olympians. The phone is "branded with the Olympic rings and has Olympics-themed wallpapers loaded on the device." The phones will "come with a flag app, which athletes will be encouraged to hold up as they walk together by country" during tomorrow's Opening Ceremony (AP, 8/4).
NEW GEAR: ENGADGET's Matt Brian noted Blizzard Entertainment's "Overwatch" video game, to coincide with the Rio Games, "has assigned" each of its 22 heroes a sport in the Olympics. Through Aug. 22, each character will be "given a selection of new skins, sprays and other in-game emotes to play with." Blizzard said that there are "more than 90 Summer Games items to collect" (ENGADGET.com, 8/2).
