Microsoft was very proud to be the Official Technology Partner of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia, in March 2006.

As the Official Technology Partner, Microsoft Australia contributed software and IT services to help stage the M2006 Commonwealth Games.

Microsoft’s server technology was used by organisers to record and collate competition results from 20 different venues in real-time, covering 12 individual and four team sports, which would then become available for publication on the internet.

Steve Vamos, Managing Director, Microsoft Australia said "Sport has long played an important social and cultural role in Australia, providing a form of social glue that binds individuals and communities, crosses societal boundaries and breaks down barriers. Sport unites people. Our partnership with the Commonwealth Games is a great fit for Microsoft because our software enables people to realise their full potential."

Journalists and the media also benefited from a web-based approach to authoring and publishing stories and had 24 hour access to results and information via Microsoft’s popular desktop operating system, Windows XP.

The Games were broadcast to a global television audience of over one billion people who watched 4,500 athletes from 71 countries compete in 12 individual and four team sports.

The Microsoft Services team worked closely with M2006 and partners Devtest and Readify to provide the technology solution required for this major initiative.

The solution was developed in Microsoft Services' Solutions Development Centre, a dedicated software development facility within Microsoft's premises in Sydney which provides access to a unique combination of Microsoft experts and support professionals, backed by an array of Microsoft infrastructure, tools and resources.

Please click here to learn more about the Solution Development Centre.

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