The organizing committee of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics 2024 have roped in American multinational technology conglomerate Cisco as their Official Partner. Under the agreement signed between the two organizations, Cisco will become the Official Network Equipment Partner, Official Cyber Security Infrastructure Partner, and Official Conferencing Software Partner for the big event.
The tech giant has previously served as the Official Network Equipment Partner in the Olympic and Paralympic Games London 2012, Rio 2016 and will also support the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The firm will expand its operations and provide cybersecurity infrastructure and conferencing software for the event to be held in France.
Tony Estanguet, President of Paris Olympics 2024, commented on the development by saying he is “delighted to welcome Cisco as Official Partner of Paris 2024,” who is a world leader in networking equipment, cybersecurity infrastructure, and collaboration. Speaking on behalf of the committee, he said that they are thrilled to have the tech-giants on their side as their “ambition is to organize spectacular and innovative Games open to anyone who wants not only to watch the competition but also to interact with the athletes”, by getting digitally involved with the organization.
According to AFP (Agence France-Presse), the American company will be collaborating with a number of organizations including The Olympic Partners (TOP) sponsor Atos and Orange, along with National Information Systems Security Agency (ANSII) in order to secure the games from potential cyber threats. As per a French newspaper Le Figaro, the organizing committee will be investing from the €17 million budget they have kept aside for the same.
Speaking of the collaboration, Chuck Robbins, Chairman and CEO of Cisco, said, “We are extremely honoured to have the opportunity to support the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. This is a historic moment to host one of most inclusive, sustainable, and technologically advanced events, and we are excited to help further France’s goal to build a strong digital foundation on which to drive growth for the future.”
Meanwhile, the organizers in the last month enlisted eight marketing agencies from France, Switzerland, the UK, and China so as to meet the goal of raising €1.1 billion in sponsorship revenues and push the domestic sponsorship programme for the Tokyo Olympics that starts from July 23.