How Drones Are Reshaping the Olympic Viewing Experience

First-person view UAVs make their Winter Olympic Games debut at Milano Cortina.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at 03:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

China’s DJI is one of the world’s largest producers of first-person view (FPV) drones, such as this Mavic Air 2. [Credit: Pexels]

Key Takeaways:

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games mark the debut of First-Person View (FPV) drones, offering viewers an "unprecedented immersion" and "first-person perspective" into the athletes' experience across various sports.
These purpose-built FPV drones fly at high speeds alongside athletes, expanding on previous Olympic drone uses to provide dynamic, close-up coverage for both outdoor and some indoor events.
While enhancing the viewing experience, the use of FPV drones has raised concerns regarding potential athlete distraction from noise, safety issues due to near misses or crashes, and viewer complaints about drone sounds on broadcast.

See a mistake? Contact us.

According to Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina are ushering in a “new chapter in Olympic broadcasting”—one that includes first-person view (FPV) drones capable of providing “unprecedented immersion into the athletes’ experience.”

If you tuned into events such as alpine skiing, snowboarding, or speed skating during the first few days of the 2026 Games in Italy, you may have seen—or heard—the FPV drones. Milano Cortina marks the Winter Olympics debut of the technology, with about 15 of them bringing viewers closer to the action.