The Tokyo Olympics were unlike any other.

With the pandemic forcing crowds to stay home, athletes faced a unique challenge: competing without the usual roar of support from family, friends, and fans. Samsung and Optus wanted to show their support for Australian athletes and tasked us with exploring how music could help improve their performance.

Challenge & Approach

The biggest hurdle was first understanding how and why music can have a physiological impact on athletic performance. After conducting scientific research and consulting with academics on the key physical and mental components of peak performance, we created a system for composing custom music. Each track could then be tailored to an athlete and their specific event in four key dimensions.

Scientific

Brainwave entrainment

Mechanical

Rhythmic synchronisation

Personal

Favourite artists, genres and mantras

Musical

Harmony, instrumentation, structure

To validate the approach, we first tested the system on three elite amateur athletes, measuring changes in their physical performance, heart rate, and oxygen uptake. The learnings from those tests were then used to compose and record the tracks for the Olympic athletes themselves.

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Solution

Using the validated framework, we composed customised tracks for the Olympic athletics, integrating:

Isochronic tones and precise BPM choices

Rhythm elements tied to each athlete’s movement or event

Personal touches – mantras, snippets of past victories, and voice cues meaningful to them

Contributions from the athlete's favourite Australian artists

Results

Artists such as Sheppard, Karnivool, San Cisco, and Alex the Astronaut collaborated to then bring these bespoke tracks to life. With each athlete then receiving their personalised music via Samsung Galaxy devices to use during training and pre‑competition routines.

The campaign also extended to the public, with all the tracks released on Spotify in Australia. Through Snapchat, people could even use elements of the music to create their own Performance Enhancing Music. The end result was a collaborative effort, bringing together art, science, and technology to support athletes from a distance while also engaging the wider community.

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Awards:

The One Show 2022:
Merit Award – Craft / Use of Sound 

One Asia Creative Awards 2022:
Merit Award – Experiential Radio & Audio

Clio Music Awards 2022:
Bronze – Use of Music in Experience/Activations

Clio Sports 2022:
Bronze – Partnerships & Sponsorships

AWARD Awards 2022:
x4 Gold wins in Branded Audio and Podcasts — Campaign, Original Composition, Sound Design & Innovative Use of Radio & Audio

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