TI goes to the Olympics

[Matt Agajanian]

Hi all

How’s this for a flashback:

Back in 1980 when the Olympics took place in Lake Placid, NY, TI was chosen as the calculator of choice for the personnel involved with the events. I remember that distinction featured prominently on TI brochures.

By that time, the 41 was a full system of barcode readers, magnetic card peripherals, a printer, and its tape drive.

So, why weren't HP’s calcs picked, especially any of the 41 versions with specially designed plug-in modules created?

Also, I wonder if specialty modules were created for the 58/59 for the Olympics.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

I found this article here: https://blog.smu.edu/degolyer/2021/07/09...precision/

It mostly talks about Ti DS990 desktop computer systems and peripherials used during the olympics, no mention of pocket calculators at all.

Here: http://medias3.fis-ski.com/pdf/1980/AL/2...66RLR0.pdf is a sample printout from a sports event produced with the "Ti-SCORE" computer system. Nothing like that would have been possible with any pocket calculator from that era, not from HP either.

Why they chose Ti over HP or other competitors (DEC comes to mind) to supply their computers for Lake Placid can only be anwered by olympic committee ofiicials of those days. Most probably money played an important role - as we know from later scandals around large sports events.

Regards
Max

[Matt Agajanian]

That explains a bunch!

Fooled me. I’d think that since the logo on each brochure of the 58, 58C, 59 meant that these calcs, not computers, were used in the Lake Placid Olympics.

[toml_12953]

(08-11-2022 06:40 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Why they chose Ti over HP or other competitors (DEC comes to mind) to supply their computers for Lake Placid can only be anwered by olympic committee ofiicials of those days. Most probably money played an important role - as we know from later scandals around large sports events.

Regards
Max

It was no scandal, nor is it illegal. In order to be picked as the official anything associated with the Olympics, you need to outbid other companies in your field. This is well documented and any company can get in on the bidding. It's an auction for the official sanction. TI outbid the other companies and so was picked.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(08-11-2022 07:07 PM)toml_12953 Wrote:  It was no scandal, nor is it illegal. In order to be picked as the official anything associated with the Olympics, you need to outbid other companies in your field. This is well documented and any company can get in on the bidding. It's an auction for the official sanction. TI outbid the other companies and so was picked.

Good to hear that there were days when major sports events could still be held without some degree of corruption! If you google "Olympics", "Formula 1", "Soccer championship", "Tour de France" or "NFL" - to list just a few - together with "corruption" or "fraud" you will get an endless list spanning several decades.

Still the first part of my answer holds true in so far that Ti got the assignment at Lake Placid because of money and not because they provided the best equipment for the job (which may of course be also true).

Regards
Max

[Garth Wilson]

(08-11-2022 06:26 PM)Matt Agajanian Wrote:  Back in 1980 when the Olympics took place in Lake Placid, NY, TI was chosen as the calculator of choice for the personnel involved with the events. I remember that distinction featured prominently on TI brochures.

By that time, the 41 was a full system of barcode readers, magnetic card peripherals, a printer, and its tape drive.

So, why weren't HP’s calcs picked, especially any of the 41 versions with specially designed plug-in modules created?

The '80 winter Olympics started in February, and the 41 came out only the year before, probably not giving enough time for the required months or years of planning to fit it in.

[Matt Agajanian]

Didn’t know the 41 system was released so close to the '80 Olympics. That short gap would definitely give too quick a notice to HP that it wouldn’t be able develop software and hardware by the deadline.

Oh well.