FINA, the international swimming federation, used Slomo.tv’s videoReferee-SR system to provide video assistance to referees during the water polo competitions at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Realising the necessity of implementing video-refereeing and guided by the principle of fair play, in 2018 FINA decided to adopt this technology in water polo, choosing the Slomo.tv solution. Since 2019, the system has been deployed in numerous international competitions.

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Even before the pandemic the federation had selected slomo.tv’s videoReferee-SR as the official video-refereeing system for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“Fair play at water polo competitions is our priority. We strive to create all the conditions and provide referees with all the necessary tools to make the right decisions in controversial moments. Our co-operation with Slomo.tv has resulted in the implementation of the video assistant referee system, which has significantly reduced the number of errors that may occur due to objective reasons. We are glad that for the first time in the Olympic history of water polo such a system has been used and, moreover, very effectively and successfully,” said Andrey Kryukov, FINA bureau member.

For international water polo competitions, FINA uses the videoReferee-SR which works with eight compact mini-vR-Сam cameras in 3G mode (1920x1080p50). The system features the ability to simultaneously search through four video channels and review moments almost instantly. The compact size and light weight (1U, 5.6kg) of the videoReferee-SR allow it to be easily transported between arenas.

To improve visibility of objects and athletes, FINA uses a specially designed version of the mini-vR-Cam cameras; to suppress water light glares and improve image quality the cameras include polarisation filters.

“FINA and Slomo.tv have been co-operating for a long time on the implementation and usage of video assistant referee systems in water polo. Taking into account all the features of the sport, a specialised version of the videoReferee-SR server was developed to meet all the requirements of the Federation. We would like to thank FINA for their trust and are glad for positive feedback from the referees who worked with the system at the Tokyo Olympics,” said Igor Vitiorets, CTO at Slomo.tv.

Prior to the scheduled start of the 2020 Olympic Games, the videoReferee-SR system was used at many international competitions, including the 18th FINA World Championships 2019 in Gwangju and the FINA Men’s Water Polo World League Super Final 2019 in Belgrade.