ID cards with display for German Haus in Beijing

Bundesdruckerei has equipped the German House at the Beijing Summer Olympics with an accreditation system featuring a combination of biometric and contactless ID card technology, as well as special cards with a graphical display.

The system will provide up to 7000 athletes, coaches, officials, business partners, media representatives and staff with safe and easy access to Germany’s Olympic meeting place from 8 to 24 August. 

Following the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens and the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Bundesdruckerei will again provide an access-control system. The supplier is using important elements of its Border Control Platform.

During the Olympic Games a select number of VIPs will have an opportunity to use a state-of-the-art ID card to enter the "German House". This display card is equipped with a contactless chip. When the card is read, its display provides information on the holder’s membership of a predefined group − the German Olympic Sports Federation, guest or partner − and allows him or her to pass.

Most of the visitors to the "German House" will use a biometric ID card. They have to be accredited before being granted access. Each person is photographed and must prove his or her identity just once by showing their passport. The photograph and personal data are then printed onto an ID card. Finally, visitors have their fingerprints taken, and these are stored by the system for the duration of the Games. This completes the "enrolment process", after which the biometric ID cards are issued.

Visitors who then wish to enter the "German House" must have their cards read at a verification station at the entrance to the building and give a live fingerprint. The live data are compared with the stored data. If they match, admission is granted. The card is again read and compared with the live data when the person leaves the "German House". Mobile verification devices developed by Bundesdruckerei will be used this year for the first time, and this will significantly increase the flexibility of the system.