
FIFA is asking the producers of wearable sports trackers to disclose their technologies, as it looks to create a standard for wearables in world football.
At the moment there are a host of different brands providing electronic performance and tracking systems (EPTS) systems for big teams, including STATsports and Catapult.
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The use of wearable EPTS systems was only ratified by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) earlier this year. Now it seems it wants to go further by making sure that teams aren't getting an unfair advantage by using systems unavailable to other clubs.
At present teams aren't allowed to use EPTS systems during a match unless it has preventative medical benefits and isn't a danger to other players. By creating a standard, it could mean wearable tech is opened up to live games, which in turn could mean new opportunities for broadcasting, with fans able to access in-depth player analytics.
That's all a long way off – and in the shorter term it could mean that some of the giants of the sports wearable industry could be in trouble. If world football freezes out one of Catapult or STATsports, other sporting bodies could follow its lead.
However, given that FIFA wasn't even able to create a single standard for goal line technology and it's still not implemented in the Champion's League, let's not hold out much hope for unity over wearable tech.
Source: Sport Techie
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