Samsung gifts 2020 Tokyo Olympics athletes bags with special phone

Goodies include an Olympic Games edition Galaxy S21 smartphone, Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds and a commemorative pen

Athletes participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are being gifted the flagship 5G Samsung Galaxy S21 Tokyo 2020 Athlete Phone, which is a limited version of the Galaxy S21 with exclusive colours and silver Olympics branding on the rear panel. Courtesy: SamsungShow less

Samsung is dishing out gift bags for all athletes competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which kicked off in Japan on Friday.

The gift bag includes a new Olympic Games edition Galaxy S21 smartphone, wireless Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds with a separate carry and charge case and a commemorative pen in an Olympics-themed box, the smartphone manufacturer announced on its website.

“Samsung is helping athletes stay connected to their loved ones and providing new, safe ways for consumers, fans and media to experience Tokyo 2020,” Timo Lumme, managing director of IOC Television and Marketing Services, said.

Samsung has been a long-term partner of the Olympics and is one of the event sponsors this year. Japan has banned spectators from attending the games to limit the potential of the spread of the coronavirus.

British athlete Bradley Forbes-Cryans showed off the contents of the bag he received from Samsung in a TikTok video. This included the flagship 5G Samsung Galaxy S21 Tokyo 2020 Athlete Phone, which is a limited version of the Galaxy S21 with a blue body and the respective Olympic and Paralympic symbols inscribed on the back. Other than the colour and branding, it is the same as the commercially available S21 phone running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip, Samsung said.

In addition to the flagship smartphone, the athlete also displayed his wireless earbuds and commemorative pen in the TikTok video.

Samsung has been releasing Olympic Edition phones as far back as 1988, the company said. The South Korean smartphone manufacturer has been providing limited edition phones to athletes since the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. This initiative expanded to Paralympians at PyeongChang in 2018, it added.

The Olympic Edition Galaxy S21 is being sold in Japan through mobile phone operator NTT Docomo, according to technology website Android Central.

Roughly 17,000 Olympians and Paralympians competing in the Tokyo Olympics are expected to receive the Samsung gift bag.

Samsung has also unveiled a roster of athlete ambassadors as part of its marketing efforts for the Tokyo Olympics.

The Tokyo Olympics were declared open in an empty stadium on Friday after a year-long pandemic delay and lingering coronavirus threats.

With more than 11,000 athletes arriving from 207 countries for the event, a bio-secure bubble has been set up to try to keep the action flowing in the Japanese capital during the next two weeks.

Public opinion polls have shown that a majority of Japanese are against holding the event during the pandemic.