⚽ How can a tiny chip inside a football change the way we watch and play the sport?
Can cutting-edge tech make officiating more accurate and transparent?
A sports equipment manufacturer in Huai’an, Jiangsu, has been designated as the official supplier of footballs for the Paris 2024 Olympics. At their production facility, rows of footballs are undergoing final inflation checks, preparing for their role on the world stage.
These football bladders, the “heart” of the ball, are equipped with a cutting-edge chip capable of performing 500 recognition actions per second. With real-time sensor feedback, this technology supports body tracking to accurately determine handball and offside incidents, significantly enhancing the accuracy and transparency of officiating.
This innovative technology, already in use for top-tier events like the UEFA European Championship and the Olympics, is set to transform the way football is played and judged. Zhou Hongda, General Manager of the Jiangsu-based sports equipment company, highlights that the chip’s real-time data can swiftly analyze the status of all players on the field, including their physical condition. ⚽✨
