From Stopwatch to High-Tech Touch: The Evolution of Olympic Timing and Controversy That Sparked It
Enhanced AI System Will Uncover the Winning Patterns of Olympic Competitors
In the 1960 Olympics held in Rome, an incident marked a turning point in the way sports competitions were timed. Australian swimmer, John Devitt, and his American counterpart, Lance Larson, finished the 100-meter freestyle swimming event at the exact time of 55.2 seconds. Despite Larson being slightly faster, both times were considered the same, leading to Devitt taking the gold. This scenario led to an era in which the method of timing of sports events would change drastically.
The Birth of a New Era
Such situations earlier were handled by using three stopwatches per lane, the average time from all of which was considered the final time. If there was a tie, a lead judge would step in to make the call. This method, however, left room for potential human errors, as witnessed in the 1960 Olympics when Hans Runströmer from Sweden, the head judge in that event, declared both times the same.
Weighing the importance of accurate timing in sports events, by 1968, Omega had installed touch boards at the ends of swimming lanes, significantly reducing the risk of human error.
Omega's Swiss Timing and the Story Till Date
Alain Zobrist, director of Omega's Swiss Timing, has many stories to tell about the cycle of evolution in sports event timing. Swiss Timing is a 400-member division of Omega focused on timing, measuring, or tracking a vast range of sports. Their latest achievement: an electronic starting pistol now equipped with a speaker for each athlete to ensure even athletes in farthest lanes in races, such as the 400 meter, hear the gunshot simultaneously, countering any advantage to the athletes closer to the pistol.
A Sports Timing Revolution in the Making
Another groundbreaking invention that sports timing has experienced over the years is the way photo finishes have progressed. From nearly a two-hour waiting period to develop the footage in the 1940s, to capturing up to 40,000 digital images per second with Omega's new Scan-o-Vision, allowing judges to make decisions in mere minutes.
Swiss Timing is more than just about start and finish times despite the Omega logo being synonymous with timing devices at the Olympics since 1932 (barring 1964 and 1992 with Seiko's involvement). "We tell the race's story, not just the result," says Zobrist. The journey continues as they steer forward to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Towards a Future-Forward Approach
"2018 marked a significant milestone for us," shares Zobrist. "This was when we introduced motion sensors on athletes' attire, shedding light on the full performance—what happens between the start and end of a race." These sensors have added new dimensions to our understanding of sports and athlete performance, offering a clear narrative that goes beyond just time and distance.
