When an event is over a century old, innovation is not a suggestion; it is a requirement. However, the founders of the Olympics probably never foresaw cameras moving over 70 miles per hour while trailing athletes down mountains and through tracks.

Every four years, there are changes — some major, others minor. Sometimes this means new sports, such as breaking at the 2024 Paris Olympics or ski mountaineering in this year's Games. In other cases, it's simply about a change in the television broadcast.

While the use of drones at the Winter Olympics is not a recent development, the new generation of technology has given the Milan Cortina Games a major boost. Olympic Broadcasting Services has deployed a fleet of drones in Italy this year to offer a unique first-person point of view.

Implemented in coverage throughout the Olympics, these drones have provided a breathtaking perspective, showcasing the difficulty and speed ingrained in winter sports. International Olympic Committee sports director Pierre Ducrey said that the IOC sees this as an evolution of the sport.

"The expectation today is to have this kind of experience when you consume a sports event, even more so for the Olympic Games," he told Reuters.

The drone cameras have emphasized just how fast sliding sports — luge, skeleton and bobsled — are, with speeds reaching 70 to 90 miles per hour. With these cameras trailing skiers as they race downhill, and snowboarders as they compete in the big air events, it has never been more exciting to watch the Olympics.

The technology is mindblowing. Some of the drones weigh less than a pound and keep up with athletes going over 70 miles an hour, while still maintaining broadcast quality. Each drone has a pilot, spotter and technician to ensure safe and fine-tuned production. The drone can be near an athlete, but cannot go over them. Each device has a camera and a broadcast transmitter attached to it. The first-person-view drones are typically operated by using a goggle-style camera-view with controllers, similar to a virtual reality headset.

This virtual reality-style broadcast makes Milan Cortina the first Olympic Games to offer 360-degree, real-time replays.

"When a camera is chasing the athlete down the hill — right in front of them or right behind them — you truly get the sense of how fast they’re going," Michael Sheehan, the coordinating director for NBC’s Olympic coverage, told The Washington Post. "That’s virtually impossible to capture with a wide shot shooting from the side. The drone coverage takes us to a place we’ve traditionally never been."

The drones have been a revelation for first-person views —but their more traditional use for cinematic aerial views is just as stunning. Of course, it helps to have a backdrop as breathtaking as Italy.

With the positive reception and success that have come with this year's newest enhancement, expect to see — and certainly hear — drones at the 2030 Games, and perhaps even at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.