With video refereeing becoming a precious decision-making tool in a growing number of sports, Vincent Lagnier, Product Manager at Vogo presents an overview of video refereeing practices.
Football or soccer has been the vanguard of defining the framework for video-assisted refereeing (VAR) and implementing such systems. IFAB is in charge of defining the rules and FIFA applies these standards for its competitions, providing leadership in how regional and national federations apply them.
VAR is the name specifically given to the video refereeing process in football, but many other sports have now introduced a video refereeing solution in their competitions or are actively working towards it. TMO in rugby, video replay in handball, video challenge in tennis… the objective is the same for all: help referees and judges guarantee fair and transparent decisions, by providing them with dedicated video and audio tools.
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How does it work?
When working as a team, referees or judges are usually equipped with a dedicated audio communication system. They have a radio terminal and a micro earset to communicate during the game and make decisions.
Some systems include noise filtering technology, such as Vokkero from sportech specialist Vogo, so that referees and judges can talk without being disturbed by the noise in the stadium. Field referees can also be connected to a dedicated video referee to make decisions.
To complement the process, video refereeing solutions are on hand to provide a precise view of what is going on during the game with access to video feeds generated by the cameras filming the game. They offer several viewing angles and enable a review of the action in slow motion or frame-by-frame to identify the fault and make the right decision.
How is it implemented?
Each sport and every level of competition defines the way video refereeing is implemented.
In most cases, international federations set the rules, and regional and national federations or leagues deploy technologies accordingly, with respect to their specific requirements and available budget.
Major competitions are often broadcast, enabling the feed from the TV cameras to be used as video content for refereeing operations.
In some disciplines, organisers require additional cameras dedicated to refereeing decisions. In this case, the video refereeing provider sets up specific cameras in addition to the TV installations. In handball, for example, the European Handball Federation (EHF) includes miniaturised cameras within the goals to capture whether the ball has crossed the line. This is also the case in volleyball, where 15 to 20 cameras are set up in front of the court lines.
Some competitions are not broadcast but still require video refereeing tools. The service provider then sets up its own cameras, for example for skiing, extreme sports or gymnastics competitions.
When video feeds are available, the key is how to broadcast them live to referees and judges, and enable them to review instantly, several times, with various angles of view, in slow motion, frame-by-frame, in order to make their decisions. Several configurations exist:
- Some sports dedicate a referee or even a team to the video refereeing process. This is the case in football, where VAR, AVAR(s), replay operator(s) and technicians work together in a separate video operating room (VOR) to study the footage and share their recommendations with the pitch referees. In all cases, the main pitch referee makes the final decision.
- An alternative is to have a video referee on the side of the field of play, with a dedicated touchscreen.
- Some sports prefer to give control directly to the main referees. In handball for example, when the refereeing team needs to check an action before making its decision, they have access to a hard touchscreen tablet at the edge of the court, displaying all video feeds from the game. The main referees operate the video and make their decision, without the intervention of a dedicated video referee or technician.
Making the video content available instantly, without latency, is crucial for not delaying the game and refereeing decisions. After the game, solutions such as VogoSport provide a Cloud service: all video feeds are uploaded to a central server, accessible to the competition organiser. This becomes a key video database, that referees, other professionals and marketing teams can use for video analysis, referee training, or communication purposes.
Video refereeing solutions also imply location choices: the operations can either be located at the venue, next to the referees and players; or remotely, in a central PC, or even at the judge’s home, minimising traveling costs and times.
Who operates the video refereeing solutions?
Depending on the competition, the sport and the venue, video refereeing activities can be run by:
- The TV broadcaster and/or the production team, which can integrate the VAR equipment into their equipment.
- A service provider specialising in video replay solutions, which sets up equipment either for a specific event or on a per-season basis. In football, for example, only 12 service providers, including Vogo, are certified by FIFA to provide VAR solutions.
- The competition organiser can also buy or rent a video replay system and operate it autonomously.
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Video replay for medical teams
Rugby Europe is the sporting body responsible for the promotion, development, administration and management of international rugby competitions for European Federations. With 48 members, it organises over 80 international matches and 20 tournaments every year.
In rugby, we don’t talk about VAR, but TMO. The TMO, or video referee, is provided with a similar video replay solution as the VAR in football, but can sometimes operate the solution themselves, without needing a dedicated technician.
Medical teams also use video replay in the context of concussion protocols and Head Injury Assessment (HIA). World Rugby has made it compulsory to provide them with a video assistance tool to detect and diagnose head injuries and make sure that concussed players can leave the pitch as soon as possible.
As a supplier of Rugby Europe, Vogo provides video replay solutions and audio communication systems for both refereeing and medical teams. From a single server and mutualised equipment, Vogo can provide services to both teams, optimising operations and costs for the organiser.
Video refereeing for individual disciplines
Video refereeing has been widely adopted in team sports but is now increasingly used for competitions in individual sports. Athletics, combat sports, skiing, table tennis and extreme sports now provide images to their judges to make their job easier and their decisions fairer.
The setup can be very light and simple. In beach wrestling for example, only one camera is enough to film the action and enable the judge to review a sequence and make his or her decision.
Vogo has developed mobile video review solutions which are easily transportable and can be operated autonomously by the organiser. The kit meets the requirements of the discipline while respecting federations’ budget constraints.
While video refereeing is becoming increasingly widely used in many sports competitions, the technological solutions proposed on the market must match the specific needs of each discipline and its financial constraints. Vogo is one such provider that offers agile solutions that are intuitive, ergonomic, and easy to set up and use, combining audio and video features.
To learn more about the latest VAR solutions, visit Vogo at IBC2024, booth #8.F47.
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