News 
For the Biel/Bienne-based company, 2024 represents an important year in terms of aquatic sports. In addition to the Olympic Games to be held in Paris this summer, the 21st World Swimming Championships were held in Doha from 2 to 18 February this year. Omega was the official timekeeper. The athletes competed in 75 events and six different sports: swimming, open water swimming, artistic swimming, diving, high diving and water polo. Omega has been the official timekeeper of this competition since 1973, when it was first held.
In addition to measuring every second of action, Omega develops innovative timekeeping technologies that are progressively improved and guarantee that no result leaves room for the slightest doubt, especially for the tightest finishes. These include the quartz-driven Quantum Timer stopwatch – with an enhanced resolution of one millionth of a second – swimming touchpads and the Swimming Light Show system enabling athletes and spectators to see race results. The starting blocks are also equipped with false-start detection systems and acoustic start devices, ensuring that every competitor hears the signal at exactly the same time.
The performance of each and every swimmer is now measured thanks to image-tracking cameras placed around the pool, while display screens enhance the viewing experience. These graphics identify all the swimmers by name, lane and nationality before each race. Once the race is over, the lanes are highlighted to reveal the rankings. The virtual record line electronically superimposed across the pool is also very popular. Finally, the technologies developed display information relating to live position, live speed, acceleration, distance between swimmers and number of strokes. They are ideal for analysis and give much greater insight into the sports they are watching.
February 22, 2024