London 2012 Olympics to be shown in 3D

Panasonic, the official audio-visual equipment partner to the Olympics, has today confirmed an agreement to make London 2012 the "first ever live 3D Olympic Games".

As part of a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), Panasonic will produce the first high definition 3D live broadcast in Olympic history.

The 3D broadcasts will include all "major events", such as the opening and closing ceremonies, along with 12 sports including athletics, gymnastics, diving and swimming.

OBS has been tasked with producing more than 200 hours of 3D coverage of the Games using Panasonic's 3D production technologies, and then distributing the footage to participating rights holders around the world, including the BBC.

Panasonic has previously provided equipment and infrastructure for other 3D events coverage, including the recent French Open Tennis tournament in partnership with Eurosport.

"Panasonic has been proud to support the Olympic host broadcaster since the first digital broadcast in Barcelona 1992, right through to the first HD broadcast in Beijing 2008," said Takumi Kajisha, the managing executive of Panasonic.

"Now we are proud to announce the partnership with the IOC and OBS to create another successful era in Olympic broadcasting with the first live 3D Olympic Games at London 2012.

"There is no doubt that the Olympic Games will provide some of the best content for the 3D market in the future, and that 3D TV will drastically change the way we experience this great sporting event in our living rooms."

Manolo Romero, the managing director of OBS, added: "For the past two decades, Panasonic has been a valued partner of the Olympic movement and of the host broadcasting organisation.

"We are now proud to announce this partnership to realise the first ever live 3D Olympic Games, and we are confident that this unprecedented broadcast will be a great success in no small part due to the 3D technologies provided by Panasonic.

"Ultimately, we believe this production of the first live 3D Olympic Games will make the London 2012 Olympic Games one of the most significant in the history of broadcasting technology."

The Olympics has proved a breeding ground for new broadcast technologies over the years - from the first televised events at the 1948 Games to HD captures in Los Angeles in 1984 and 3D content trials in Barcelona in 1992.

At the weekend, London 2012 host broadcaster the BBC confirmed plans to offer coverage of the Games in Super Hi-Vision, a broadcast technology 16 times sharper than normal high definition, on three big screens around the UK. The corporation also said that a firm announcement on its own plans for 3D coverage is expected by the end of the year.