Pentathlon meets AI: The International Modern Pentathlon Union on simplifying content discovery and sharing
The International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) is working with Moments Lab to make media asset management easy [Credit: UIPM World Pentathlon/Aiste Ridikaite]
“Everyone loved it,” comments Florent Boas, TV and media operations manager at UIPM, on the new event. “The obstacle races in Cairo were very compelling because the senior athletes only had about six months to train for them after Paris compared to our youth and junior competitors, who made the switch two years ago. It was like a clash between age groups and very enjoyable to watch.”
Enhanced productivity
UIPM drastically reduced its media asset discovery, sharing and repurposing time in Egypt, and set itself in good stead for the LA28 Games with Moments Lab.
For the UIPM team in Cairo, using Moments Lab’s Public API for the first time to automatically publish more than 800 high resolution event photos to image hosting site Flickr, greatly enhanced productivity.
“We used to upload our photos to Moments Lab and then needed to do the same for Flickr. If there was a drop in internet connectivity, which is common in race locations such as Egypt, it would stop the file transfer,” explained Boas. “With the Moments Lab API directly publishing everything we have on the platform to Flickr, we saved at least two hours daily.”
Modern Pentathlon, introduced in 1912, is an Olympic multi-sport where women and men compete in fencing, obstacle racing and swimming before the Laser Run, a combined running and laser shooting race to the finish line.
Today, the UIPM oversees not only the pentathlon, but derivative multi-sports such as laser run, obstacle laser run, triathle and biathle. UIPM organises annual events worldwide, with continental and national bodies running regional and local competitions.
AI-powered facial recognition technology makes it possible for UIPM to identify specific athletes [Credit: UIPM World Pentathlon/Aiste Ridikaite]
Previously, UIPM was finding it increasingly difficult to manage its ever-growing volume of photos and videos from its various events and was looking for a new way to meet its communication needs.
The organisation’s existing setup consisted of a myriad of manual processes and unsuitable digital tools. “We relied on a document-sharing system between our photographers, video teams and communication department, and often needed VPN access to get to our media asset storage software,” explained Boas.
This pieced-together workflow made the process of finding, using and sharing high resolution video and image files from global pentathlon events unnecessarily strenuous and time consuming.
Increasingly conscious of the need to satisfy media partners, sponsors and fans seeking more immersive experiences from its events, UIPM began to search for a new media asset management solution. The organisation’s main goal was to be able to find content, such as a clip of an athlete in a specific discipline with a sponsor’s logo displayed, quickly and easily.
Based on UIPM’s objectives to be able to ingest live event recordings and easily search their media library, the Moments Lab team proposed a combination of Media Hub and Live Asset Manager. Powered by MXT multimodal AI, these products include features such as facial recognition, object and logo detection – including those of sponsors – and near-live clipping tools, which fit with UIPM’s needs.
Transitioning to AI-powered MAM
UIPM started using Moments Lab in 2023 at the Pentathlon World Championship in Bath, UK. It has completely transformed the way its teams manage their media assets.
With Live Asset Manager, the UIPM team can schedule, capture and record live event footage into the Cloud Media Hub and clip all the best action right away.
MXT multimodal AI-powered indexing with automatic facial recognition technology plays a crucial role, making it possible to identify specific athletes in its many competitions. Logo detection ensures UIPM can quickly search for and retrieve relevant moments that feature sponsors, and store these photos and videos in a dedicated smart collection, enabling fast access for its partnership manager.
UIPM takes advantage of the option to transcode its media into a smaller, mezzanine format, which allows for faster and easier downloading and sharing of content. Boas explained: “Certain pentathlon events are held in locations where we face infrastructure challenges, such as unstable internet connections. The mezzanine format within Moments Lab, combined with its upload tool, has proved to be very stable; it simply pauses if there is a drop in internet connection, instead of canceling the upload completely.”
New way of engaging
UIPM’s Moments Lab workflow has enabled the organisation to implement a new communication strategy. Near-live clips, which were previously difficult to produce, are now the highest-performing content on social media. The Cloud Media Hub ensures that winning footage of an athlete at the finish line is immediately accessible and ready for sharing.
Thanks to Live Asset Manager, the communications team can also clip and share videos while an event is still happening. This ability has enabled the team to double the number of reels they post to UIPM’s social media platforms, significantly enhancing their digital presence and engagement rates: 30% of reels surpass 30,000 plays and 8% exceed 50,000 plays on Instagram; notably, 3% of UIPM’s reels achieve over 100,000 plays, showcasing the viral potential of the content.
The impact extended beyond engagement, as UIPM’s social media reach grew significantly, connecting with five million individuals in 2024. Instagram alone saw an 18% growth in audience reach, a testament to the effectiveness of the new workflow.
For UIPM, partnering with Moments Lab has been a true gamechanger and it is looking forwards now to LA28. Boas concludes: “The efficiencies gained through the Media Hub enable us to explore new communication possibilities, cut down production time and focus on sharing the pentathlon experience with our fans and partners.”