Olympic and Paralympic Games sponsor Visa is handing out NFC-enabled rings to favoured athletes competing in Rio this summer, enabling them to make payments around the city with a tap of the finger.
Given to 45 'Team Visa' Olympic hopefuls, the rings feature Visa token technology, a design from McLear & Co. that includes a secure microchip made by Gemalto, with an embedded NFC-enabled antenna.
The rings do not require use of a battery or recharging and are water resistant to a depth of 50 meters, meaning Team Visa athlete and Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin can make a payment straight from the pool.
"As an Olympian, rings have a special meaning to me,” says Franklin. "The Visa ring is a great innovation that I know all the athletes competing in Rio will enjoy as it will be great to go from a competition to purchase without having to carry a wallet or card."
As the exclusive payment provider for the Games, Visas is rolling out around 4000 NFC terminals across Rio venues, enabling fans to make contactless card, mobile and wearable payments.