Technology

The technology used throughout Barcelona’’92 was the most advanced at that time. Since it was a very important factor for the proper execution of the event, the Olympic Office commissioned the BIT’’92 report (Barcelona Informatics and Telecommunications). By 1989, all the services had been outsourced to a range of companies. At the same time, every effort was made to ensure that those companies would acquire the status of sponsors to increase their degree of engagement in the XXVth Olympiad. The implementation of a system to test the whole organisational structure during competitions held in 1991 was very important.

Regarding the information systems, the projects defined by COOB’’92 (Organising Committee for the Barcelona Olympic Games) were divided into five sections: information technology architecture and installations; AMIC (Multiple Access to Information and Communication to enable users to consult all available information, from event results to the weather); SIGO (Information System for the Management of Operations such as accommodation, accreditations, travel, etc.); internal information (business management and office automation); and the Alcatel project, which enabled real-time international connections, for use mainly by the media and other specialist users.

In terms of telecommunications, public and private telecommunications projects were planned in accordance with the specific needs of broadcasting; of radiocommunications projects (with a major presence of paging systems and a pioneering mobile telephony network); of electronics and sound (including sound during competitions, track instruments and displays, and the internal Olympic Family channel); and of electronic security (access control, closed-circuit surveillance systems, etc.).