Olympics

There's only a few seconds of running in a bobsleigh heat, but one slip can skittle the whole team. Seeing the need for high-performance ice sport footwear, BMW has jumped in to build custom, 3D-printed traction aids for the 2025 Winter Olympics.

It seems the Enhanced Games are on like Donkey Kong, with multi-million dollar investments from Peter Thiel and other high-profile VCs. Performance-enhancing drugs are welcome – indeed, this could become an early preview of a transhuman Olympics.

Populous has completed the only new permanent venue for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Named the Ice Ribbon, the arena will host speed skating events and is defined by an eye-catching illuminated facade.

Look how far we've come in the last 35 years, and imagine where we'll be in 2056. What will the Olympic Games look like in an age of genetic editing, advanced bionics, augmented reality, advanced medicine, neural links and artificial intelligence?

The usual suspects, like steroids, are closely monitored in sports but what about other drugs such as psychedelics, not commonly thought to be performance-enhancing? Can LSD improve athletic performance, and if so what does this mean for elite sport?

Paris Region, ADP and RATP are eyeing the development of an urban air mobility branch ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, and have joined forces with German air taxi startup Volocopter to make it happen.

The automotive consultancy division of Group Lotus has teamed up with Hope Technology for a new track bike aimed at helping the Great Britain Cycling Team to bring home Olympic gold.

Toyota has confirmed that its e-Palette people mover will be autonomously transporting athletes throughout the Olympic and Paralympic villages.

One year out from the Tokyo games Japan has unveiled its Olympic medals, which will adorn winning athletes in metals recycled from discarded gadgets. Tons of scrap metal was recovered from small electronics collected all over the country for the initiative.

Back in March, the first Tokyo 2020 Robot Project helpers were revealed. Now Toyota has pulled back the curtain on its full line-up, with mascot bots, full-sized humanoids and field support bots joining the delivery and human support robots already announced.

The International Olympic Committee recently received a new headquarters in Switzerland, courtesy of 3XN. Featuring an eye-catching glazed facade, the building boasts significant sustainable design, including rainwater collection, solar panels, and the use of recycled materials.

The Organising Committee for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo has revealed the first Tokyo 2020 Robot Project helpers, which will assist spectators in wheelchairs to ensure they have "an experience they are unlikely to forget."​