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  July 2018  
 
     
 
   
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How VAR technology has improved judgement in football games
For the first time ever, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was given a role to play on the biggest stage of any football tournament – the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. The VAR system is a form of technology, along with cameras, a 3D offside line system and a VAR information system, used to help ensure the fairness of the games by assisting the referee to make instant judgements and rulings with greater accuracy on the field.

The FIFA Referee Committee selected 13 qualified referees worldwide to support all 64 matches in this year’s World Cup. Four referees from the pool formed a VAR team for each game, sitting in a special hub in Moscow and constantly monitoring all the FIFA host broadcaster camera feeds. Among these 33 broadcast cameras, 8 were super-slow motion cameras and 4 were ultra-slow motion, along with two extra offside cameras to support the VAR. The cameras support slow motion and normal speed replays for verifying factual situations and subjective judgements respectively.

With a 3D offside line system, some of the most important refereeing decisions in the game can even be reversed as a result. This system is completely automatic in calibration and line tracking, in which the computer-generated virtual offside lines can be projected onto the broadcast image of the field of play to help the VAR team determine whether an offside offense has occurred. To prevent disrupting the game unduly, VAR can only be used for four sorts of incidents, namely goals and offences leading up to a goal, penalty decisions and offences leading up to a penalty, direct red cards, and mistaken identity. The VAR team can signal the on-field referee in the event of a confusing incident, or vice versa, giving advice to the referee on any uncertainties or elements of a play which may otherwise be difficult to identify. VAR has already left its mark on this year’s World Cup, but still, the new technology only serves in an advisory capacity, while the final decision on every play ultimately rests with the referee.

The VAR information system is used to automatically create VAR-specific graphic templates for TV and the giant screen in the stadium. In the event of any of the four match-changing situations, a FIFA staff member would inform the broadcasters, commentators and infotainment about the review process and the outcome of the review via a networked touch tablet.

 
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Mr Nicholas Yang, the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, paid a three-nation visit to France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland in June to update the European community on Hong Kong's latest developments in the innovation and technology (I&T) arena.
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The Innovation and Technology Bureau (ITB) has just released a new “Innovation Hong Kong” booklet in June to provide readers with essential information on the state of innovation and technology (I&T) development in Hong Kong, including its trends and achievements.
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The Standards and Calibration Laboratory (SCL) together with the Government Laboratory hosted the 2018 Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP) mid-year meeting and the "Metrology - Enabling Developing Economies in the Asia-Pacific” (MEDEA) Workshop from July 3 to 6, 2018 in Hong Kong for the first time.
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The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) is partnering with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and Mhub Blockchain Limited (Molecular Hub), to launch a Blockchain-focused accelerator programme for start-ups. The programme was launched on July 13, 2018, at the APAC Blockchain Innotech Summit held at Hong Kong Science Park.
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Upcoming I&T Event
 
The 51st Joint School Science Exhibition (JSSE) will be held from August 22 to 27, 2018, aiming to nurture local science talents, arouse public interest in science and foster the exchange of knowledge. The public is also welcome to visit students’ science projects at Float Tours, which will be held on July 28, August 4 and August 11 at D2 Place TWO in Lai Chi Kok, Tuen Mun Town Plaza and Domain Mall in Yau Tong respectively. Click here for more event details on the JSSE Facebook Page.
 
 
 
 
Enquiries & Comments
 
Innovation and Technology Commission
21/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong.

email : enquiry@itc.gov.hk
 
tel : (852) 3655 5856
fax : (852) 2730 4633
 
   
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