During the recent world cup in qatar, technology has taken centre stage. From video assistant referee (var) use to help officials make critical calls to improving stadium conditions with advanced technical controls, fifa spared no expense in their investment in technology that dramatically transforms how sports are played and viewed.
The games have been positively impacted by these technological advances and there’s no going back. This has been recognised by tech teams like wither world team, who recognise the importance of improving the sport experience and assisting start-up tech firms by framing them and protecting their intellectual property.
Technology has impacted sports in five major sectors: safety, gameplay, data, fan experience, and advertising. Here are some examples of the different technology used in the qatar world cup:
Table of Contents
Safety
Following sports tragedies such as the hillsborough disaster, concerns have been growing around how fans’ and professional athletes’ safety can be prioritised during sports games. In response, sports organisations have invested in advanced security measures that can directly protect stadiums and those inside them.
In last year’s world cup, drone surveillance and ai were utilised to forecast crowd patterns that can protect against surges and stampedes. Security cameras were also installed to monitor the eight football stadiums and qatar streets.
Gameplay
Referees are human so prone to making mistakes. Technology is developing to eliminate the element of human error, and this is where var technology comes in. Var acts as a support tool for sports officials and allows them to identify clear and obvious errors relating to match-changing situations like goals, penalties, and red-card incidents.
var technology changed the fate of over 25 different matches in the qatar world cup, with its use leading to 10 goals. This increased the accuracy of official decisions and produced fairer game outcomes.
Data
The end score of a game is not the only numbers that matter in sports. Organisations are now using advanced technical systems that produce individual performance data for players and track real-time statistics to make decisions on the go.
Fifa used semi-automated systems for the world cup. This involved placing a sensor in the ball that relays its position on the field 500 times a second, and 12 tracking cameras mounted underneath the roof of stadiums so data can be collected from each player’s individual performance. It also helps in making decisions regarding offside offences and disallowing goals.
Fan experience
With popular sporting events happening across the world, it’s in the best interests of fifa to make the fan experience more enjoyable. Qatar is a country that experiences summers of up to 45 degrees celsius so to keep players and fans cool, air conditioning was developed for the 8 stadiums hosting the 64 world cup games. Powered by solar panels, cooled air wafts are produced in the stadium to keep temperatures at a comfortable level and keep professional footballers from overheating midgame.
