Although sports existed long before a lot of the technology available today was developed, many of them now use and rely on modern equipment to ensure results are as accurate as they can be.
Here is a look at how some sports have embraced technology and are benefiting from the help they are getting:
Greyhound Racing
In the sport of greyhound racing, identifying the finishing order of the greyhounds in a race is paramount. In 2023, many greyhound tracks around the world added the Isolynx Tracking and Timing System to their tracks. A small chip is added to the back or neck of the greyhounds and using this system, their finishing time is recorded.
An accurate tracking and timing system is even more important for major tournaments such as the English Derby. The latest renewal begins in May where King Memphis is the +1400 favorite in dog racing betting. In that competition, qualification into the next round can be by a split second.
Greyhound trainers now use this data from the Isolynx Tracking and Timing System to determine the best distance for their greyhounds. They see the highest speed their greyhound reaches, and they can compare data from different tracks to see if their runner favors a particular venue.
Cricket
No sport has embraced technology more than cricket over the last decade. It is hard to imagine an international contest without the help the umpires receive on the pitch. They can check whether a batsman has hit the ball and if an LBW (leg before wicket) appeal is successful.
🇦🇺 WORLD CHAMPIONS 🇦🇺
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) November 19, 2023
A simply stunning victory over the hosts and it's Australia who win a SIXTH men's Cricket World Cup. 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Delight for the Aussies, despair for India. #BBCCricket #CWC23 #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/I7uoc4nWCf
The technology cricket now uses ensures no officiating errors are made in international cricket. The pressure has been taken off the umpires, as they no longer make difficult decisions that can determine the result of a game or tournament, like the World Cup which was won by Australia in 2023.
Captains of both teams have a set number of appeals they can make during a game if they disagree with a decision on the pitch. In many ways, soccer, which is still coming to terms with VAR (video assistant referee), can learn a lot from how cricket uses the technology available to them.
Horse Racing
The stewards in horse racing play an important role in the sport, as they determine whether any rules were broken in a race. They now have much more help than they did only a few years ago, as the addition of the Jockey Cam, a small camera added to the jockey’s helmet, gives them invaluable footage to determine if a rider made an error on the track.
A team of stewards reviews the footage from several cameras after a race before declaring an official result. If they require more information, they can call up a jockey to give an account of decisions they took in a race.
CORACH RAMBLER WINS THE 2023 GRAND NATIONAL 🏇 pic.twitter.com/IXDzrs9BK4
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 15, 2023
Extra pressure is on the stewards for the big races like the Grand National, which Corach Rambler won in 2023. Millions tune into the live broadcast for this race every year, so the reputation of the sport is on the line when the stewards make their decision in this contest.
With technology advancing at a much faster speed today, it will be interesting to see how sport continues to evolve to improve the accuracy of their results.
