A total of 58 football matches will be played during the ongoing Paris Olympics at seven venues in France.
All of these stadiums will be equipped with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), a technology-aided officiating system to assist on-field referees in making accurate decisions during matches.
Of the 89 match referees from 45 countries appointed by the FIFA Referees Committee for Paris 2024, 20 are designated video match officials.
VAR had made its debut at the Summer Games during Tokyo 2020.
Semi-automated offside technology
The introduction of Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) complements VAR.
SAOT utilises 12 specialised cameras, which are strategically placed to track the exact position of the ball and players on the field of play.
In particular, the position of the limbs, as well as all the other body parts that are relevant for offside decisions, can be established.
This technology facilitates accurate and rapid position checks, utilising artificial intelligence. When a player, who is perceived to be offside, receives the ball, an alert will be sent to the VAR, who can then check the position immediately from the offside lines drawn automatically by the technology.
In every such instance, the final decision will require validation from the VAR before the on-field referee is informed. The referee will always make the final decision on the field of play.
Once the decision-making process has been completed, the same data points that were used to determine a player’s position will be generated into a 3D animation that will be shown on the giant screens at the stadiums and will also be provided to TV broadcasters, which ensures transparent insight for fans.
