Subj : After 147 years, Wimbledon is getting rid of line judges in favor
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Wed Oct 09 2024 15:15:04

After 147 years, Wimbledon is getting rid of line judges in favor of AI  and 
adding VAR, which always goes well

Date:
Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:13:40 +0000

Description:
Wimbledon has announced the use of AI-powered technology in next year's 
tournament, replacing nearly 300 line judges.

FULL STORY
======================================================================

Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world, is replacing around 300 
line judges with artificial intelligence at next years tournament - saying 
goodbye to a 147-year tradition. 

The line judges at Wimbledon have for years stood around the court watching 
the lines with laser focus to determine whether a tennis ball is in or out. 
But at Wimbledon in 2025, youll not spot the cream berets and navy blazers. 
The system the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has opted for instead is 
an evolution of the Hawk-Eye technology that has been used for tight calls 
since 2007. The technology is called electronic line calling (ELC) and will 
be used on all of Wimbledons 18 courts throughout the 2025 competition. 

The AELTC confirmed in a statement on Wednesday, officiating technology will 
be in place for all Championships and qualifying match courts and cover the 
out and fault calls that have previously been made by line umpires. 

This artificial intelligence technology is nothing new to tennis, having been 
implemented following the COVID pandemic at other major tournaments like the 
US Open. The Australian Open was the first grand slam to ever remove line 
judges on all courts back in 2021 and the ATP Tour will bring in the 
technology in 2025. 

Wimbledon is founded on tradition, so todays announcement, while not 
surprising, is indicative of the new AI-driven world we now live in. Back in 
2014, IBM, one of Wimbledons major sponsors, didnt think wed be replacing 
humans at Wimbledon anytime soon . But a lot can change in 10 years, and now 
well have an AI on Centre Court. What is ELC and how does it work? 

The system that is set to be implemented at Wimbledon for the 2025 tournament 
works by tracking the balls movement through 12 cameras strategically placed 
on every court. There are also microphones on the court to listen for the 
sound of the ball as well as a computer to interpret the balls location in 
real time. A video operator, similar to the Video Assistant Referee in soccer 
will oversee the technology from an external room, communicating with the 
Chair umpire on the court. 

This isnt the first AI technology introduced at Wimbledon, earlier this year 
the AELTC unveiled a new Catch Me Up tool , powered by IBMs Watson generative 
AI platform. Catch Me Up allows fans to watch highlights from games on a 
second screen, ideal for the perfect couch tennis companion. You might also 
like... How IBM is making Wimbledon the smartest-ever tournament Apple 
Intelligence release date leaked  here's when the first AI features are set 
to arrive on your iPhone Fitbits new Gemini-powered AI assistant can answer 
questions about your health  heres how to try it



======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/after-147-years-wi
mbledon-is-getting-rid-of-line-judges-in-favor-of-ai-and-adding-var-which-alwa
ys-goes-well


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
 * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)

.