In a significant technological leap for the Olympic Movement, Samsung Electronics is poised to redefine the athlete experience at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games by distributing nearly 3,800 exclusive Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition smartphones. This initiative represents far more than a simple distribution of devices; it is a calculated deployment of advanced artificial intelligence designed to serve as an indispensable companion for Olympians and Paralympians. By integrating powerful AI functionalities directly into the fabric of the Games, this specially engineered smartphone aims to support every facet of an athlete’s journey, from managing daily schedules and overcoming language barriers to capturing and sharing the raw emotion of their competitive moments. This move underscores Samsung’s long-standing partnership, which spans nearly three decades, and highlights a strategic shift toward creating a deeply personalized, connected, and intelligent digital environment that empowers athletes to tell their own stories on a global stage. The device is not just a tool for communication but a comprehensive ecosystem that facilitates connection, streamlines logistics, and immortalizes the personal victories that define the Olympic spirit.
A Pocket-Sized AI Companion
The Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition has been meticulously engineered to meet the demands of an elite athlete’s dynamic lifestyle, combining a compact, pocket-sized form factor with robust, intuitive functionality. Its new edge-to-edge FlexWindow serves as the primary interface for an integrated suite of Galaxy AI features, enabling seamless, one-handed interaction that is crucial when athletes are constantly on the move between training, competition, and the Olympic Village. The design itself is a tribute to the Games, featuring a signature blue back glass that aligns with the visual identity of Milano Cortina 2026, evoking the cultural significance of Italian azure and the spirit of global unity. This is elegantly contrasted by a custom gold metal frame, a subtle yet powerful symbol of the athletes’ relentless pursuit of excellence and their aspirations for the podium. This thoughtful fusion of ergonomic design and symbolic aesthetics ensures the device is not only a practical tool but also a commemorative piece that resonates with the significance of the Olympic journey. The hardware is built to perform, providing a powerful platform for the sophisticated AI that lies within, ready to assist athletes at a moment’s notice.
Beyond its physical design, the device’s true power lies in its ability to function as a personalized daily assistant, simplifying the complexities of participating in a global event. A key feature, “Now Brief,” delivers a glanceable, AI-curated summary of an athlete’s most important information, including calendar events, reminders, and fitness summaries synced from health and wellness applications. For the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, this feature is deeply integrated with the Athlete365 platform, ensuring that the latest Olympic-related news and essential updates are pushed directly to the athletes, helping them stay informed and focused. Perhaps one of the most impactful tools is the “On-device Interpreter,” which provides real-time, two-way translation that functions entirely without a network connection. This is a critical advantage in the mountainous regions of the Games where connectivity can be inconsistent. By supporting a wide array of languages, including Italian, French, German, and Spanish, the Interpreter breaks down communication barriers, enabling seamless and meaningful interactions between athletes, officials, and volunteers from approximately 90 different countries, thereby fostering a more inclusive and connected Olympic community.
Capturing and Creating the Olympic Story
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition with a flagship-level dual rear camera system, featuring a 50-megapixel Wide lens and a 12-megapixel Ultra-Wide lens, empowering athletes to document their journey with professional-grade clarity and detail. However, the hardware is only part of the equation. The true innovation comes from “Photo Assist,” a powerful generative AI tool that brings studio-quality editing capabilities directly into the hands of the athletes. This feature allows for sophisticated image manipulation with remarkable ease; users can move, erase, or enlarge objects within a photo, adjust angles, and intelligently fill in backgrounds with just a few taps. This eliminates the need for complex desktop software, enabling athletes to quickly enhance their images and create polished, compelling visual content that captures the essence of their experience. Whether it’s a candid moment in the Olympic Village or a triumphant pose after a competition, Photo Assist provides the tools to perfect every shot, allowing athletes to share a more creative and refined version of their story with fans, family, and followers across the globe.
Further enhancing the device’s storytelling capabilities is “Dual Recording,” an innovative camera mode that allows athletes to record video simultaneously from both the front and rear cameras. This feature, easily accessible with a simple swipe, enables them to capture not only the action unfolding before them but also their own real-time reactions in a single, immersive shot, offering a uniquely personal and authentic perspective on the pressures and elations of competition. Building on this theme of personal commemoration, Samsung is expanding its “Victory Selfie” initiative, first introduced at Paris 2024, to its first Winter Olympics. Crucially, its scope is being broadened to include team sport competitions, allowing entire teams to capture their collective moment of triumph on the podium through their own lens. Complementing this is the new “Victory Profile” initiative, a project in collaboration with nine National Olympic Committees to create curated, high-quality portraits of approximately 490 athletes using the advanced camera of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This aims to capture the individuality and spirit of their journey beyond the arena, providing them with a personal keepsake that reflects their unique story.
An Integrated and Supported Experience
The holistic athlete experience is meticulously curated through a combination of exclusive accessories, customized software, and a pre-loaded suite of essential applications. Each Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition is accompanied by a clear magnet case that features a blue circular magnet encircled by gold laurel leaves, a classic motif symbolizing victory. The user interface is also customized, greeting athletes with a special Olympic Winter Games-themed wallpaper and a unique on/off animation. The wallpaper’s design, with its colorful, flowing curves, is inspired by the intricate marks left on ice by skate blades, celebrating the dynamism and artistry of winter sports. To ensure athletes are connected and prepared from the moment they receive their device, each phone comes with a “Galaxy Athlete Card,” a digital platform for exchanging profiles and fostering community. Furthermore, a complimentary 100GB 5G eSIM guarantees constant connectivity, while the integration of Samsung Wallet with services from partners like Coca-Cola provides digital passes such as the “Free Beverage Key” for convenient use at vending machines throughout the venues.
Recognizing that technology is only as good as its support system, Samsung will establish “Samsung Open Stations” at Olympic Villages across the six host cities to ensure a seamless rollout and user experience. Distribution of the devices will commence on January 30th, and these on-site stations will be staffed with professional customer service representatives to assist with device activation, data transfer, and any general technical support athletes may require. This comprehensive support structure underscores a commitment that extends far beyond just providing hardware. It is part of a long-term vision that reaffirms Samsung’s role in shaping the digital future of the Games, a partnership set to continue through the Los Angeles 2028 Games. By leveraging its innovations in artificial intelligence, 5G, and immersive technologies, Samsung aims to transform how the world experiences this global spectacle. These athlete-centered devices and integrated experiences are designed to create powerful new avenues for athletes to share their journeys, ultimately bringing fans closer to the moments and the people who define the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
A Legacy of Innovation and Connection
The distribution of the Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games marked a pivotal moment in the integration of technology and sport. The AI-powered devices provided athletes with an unprecedented level of support, transforming their smartphones from simple communication tools into indispensable companions that streamlined logistics, broke down cultural barriers, and empowered personal storytelling. Features like the On-device Interpreter facilitated countless moments of cross-cultural connection, while the advanced camera systems and AI-driven editing tools allowed athletes to capture and share their journeys with an authenticity and creative flair previously unattainable. This initiative did more than just equip participants with new technology; it fundamentally enhanced the fabric of the Olympic experience, fostering a more connected and engaged community both within the Olympic Village and across the global digital landscape. The legacy of this program was seen in the rich, athlete-generated content that brought fans closer to the Games than ever before, offering an intimate glimpse into the dedication, emotion, and triumph that defined their path to the podium.
