When we think of BMW we don’t think of the Olympics and we certainly don’t think about swimming – in fact the only time we even think of German cars and water is that scene in Risky Business where Tom Cruise goes deep with the Porsche.
But now BMW, which has in the past aided long jumpers, is getting all wet helping USA Swimming prepare for the Olympics. So how is the company involved? According to the press release:
This latest effort will provide quantitative analysis of swimmers’ starts and turns – critical to success in the sport – via a unique motion tracking system. This technology initiative is central to BMW’s comprehensive U.S. Olympic program which endeavors to advance the performance goals of Team USA while bringing communities across the country closer to the excitement of the Olympic Games.
“Developing a first-of-its-kind training technology for Olympic athletes is very exciting for BMW,” said Dirk Rossberg, Head of the BMW Group Technology Office USA. “We’re eager to build upon what we learned from USA Track & Field, and are focused on delivering performance data for USA Swimming to help improve starts and turns – those pivotal moments in a race where Olympic medals are lost and won.”
Given that BMW knows something about performance cars, we’re sure the swimmers are happy with anything that can help their performance in the water as well.