News &
Opinion
The sports technology sector is a rapidly moving and evolving space. The STA Group is at the heart of this and shares news, opinion and insights from all walks of the industry
VAR and TMO in sport are good things. They back up referees with evidence, cut out errors, and—largely—make sure the right side wins for the right reasons. They’ve also taken some of the heat off officials, curbed a few theatrical collapses, and opened the door to genuine transparency for fans. In short, they’ve made sport fairer, sharper, and a lot harder to cheat.
I bumped into athletics star and former Sports Technology Awards (now Smarter Sports Awards) judge and presenter, Dai Greene, last week. We talked about track and field’s current struggles and he landed a thought that stopped me short: T&F needs to ditch The Olympics as its four-year glory moment, build through more events and make the World Championships its pinnacle event.
When we launched The Sports Technology Awards over a decade ago, the idea was gloriously simple: celebrate the things that were rewriting - or rewiring - sport. Back then, ‘technology’ was the keyword. Apps, data, platforms, broadcast kit … all the wonder stuff that made sport look, sound, and behave differently.
The World Championships in Tokyo might be remembered for medals and records, but one of its most important legacies should be how it manages its officials.
Straight from the ‘Captain Cock-up’ playbook of the 1993 Grand National, the Tokyo marathon saw a false start. This was unprecedented and ridiculous, over 43km it would have made no competitive difference.
VAR and TMO in sport are good things. They back up referees with evidence, cut out errors, and—largely—make sure the right side wins for the right reasons. They’ve also taken some of the heat off officials, curbed a few theatrical collapses, and opened the door to genuine transparency for fans. In short, they’ve made sport fairer, sharper, and a lot harder to cheat.
I bumped into athletics star and former Sports Technology Awards (now Smarter Sports Awards) judge and presenter, Dai Greene, last week. We talked about track and field’s current struggles and he landed a thought that stopped me short: T&F needs to ditch The Olympics as its four-year glory moment, build through more events and make the World Championships its pinnacle event.
When we launched The Sports Technology Awards over a decade ago, the idea was gloriously simple: celebrate the things that were rewriting - or rewiring - sport. Back then, ‘technology’ was the keyword. Apps, data, platforms, broadcast kit … all the wonder stuff that made sport look, sound, and behave differently.
The World Championships in Tokyo might be remembered for medals and records, but one of its most important legacies should be how it manages its officials.
Straight from the ‘Captain Cock-up’ playbook of the 1993 Grand National, the Tokyo marathon saw a false start. This was unprecedented and ridiculous, over 43km it would have made no competitive difference.
