The 2018 Winter Olympics officially kick off with Friday’s Opening Ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The temptation to fly a shiny new drone over the action will no doubt be great for amateur filmmakers and photographers in the immediate area, but DJI’s working to put the kibosh on things by implementing a temporary no-fly zone around sports arenas in the country.
The flight restrictions will arrive as a part of an update to drone software, instituting restrictions or the duration of the games this month in the South Korean cities of Pyeongchang, Gangneung, Bongpyeong and Jeongseon. The size of the zone is determined by recommendations from aviation authorities.
The reasons for the restrictions are pretty clear — avoiding collision and other disruptions caused by flying too close to the action. “Safety is DJI’s top priority and we’ve always taken proactive steps to educate our customers to operate within the law and where appropriate, implement temporary no-fly zones during major events,” the company said in a statement. “We believe this feature will reduce the potential for drone operations that could inadvertently create safety or security concerns.”
This has become pretty standard practice for the company around various big events in recent years. In the past, DJI has implemented temporary restrictions around the Euro 2016 soccer tournament in France, both major party conventions ahead of the 2016 presidential election and the G7 Summit in Japan.