Another memorable moment occurred at South Paris Arena 4 on July 30, during the mixed doubles table tennis event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Athletes from South and North Korea took a selfie together on the podium. South Korean Lim Jong Hoon, who won the bronze medal alongside Shin Yu Bin, used a smartphone provided by the event organizers to take a selfie with the North Korean silver medalists (Ri Jeong Sik and Kim Gung Yong) and the Chinese gold medalists (Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha). At the request of the Chinese athletes, Lim even switched positions to capture the commemorative photos from various angles. Lim Jong Hoon appeared to be especially happy because he was slated to start his mandatory military service soon, but since he won a Bronze medal at the Olympics, he is now exempt from military service.
The smartphone used for these selfies was the recently released foldable Galaxy Z Flip 6 by Korean conglomerate Samsung. Traditionally, personal items like smartphones have not been allowed on the Olympic podiums, preventing athletes from taking selfies during medal ceremonies. However, the Paris Olympics made history by allowing "Victory Selfies" on the podium, thanks to a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Samsung.
As an official sponsor of the IOC, Samsung provided the Galaxy Z Flip 6 Olympic Edition to over 17,000 athletes participating in the Games. The smartphone, equipped with real-time translation and other AI features, was designed to facilitate communication among athletes and to promote the device by capturing natural moments during the Olympics, such as taking selfies on the podium.
After the medal ceremonies, athletes used these smartphones to capture their moments on the podium. The photos were automatically synced with an app called "Athlete 365," allowing the athletes to easily download and share their photos.
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