In this blog post, we will look at the reasons why sports are cautious about adopting new technologies despite technological advancements and the background behind it.
The dilemma of adopting full-body swimsuits
On the one hand, technological advancements in sports are seen as tools that guarantee improved performance and accuracy, but sometimes they can lead to overreliance on them, which can act as a factor that obscures the skills, fitness, and tactical abilities of individual athletes. For example, the full-body swimsuit in swimming. Full-body swimsuits reduced the physical resistance of the swimmers, which helped them to improve their times, but at the same time, it dramatically widened the gap between them and the swimmers who did not use them. This led to criticism that the intrinsic value of the competition was being undermined by technical equipment. For this reason, the swimming federation decided to restrict the use of full-body swimsuits, which can be seen as an attempt to strike a balance between technological advancement and traditional competition methods.
Resistance to the introduction of technology and the identity of a sharing culture
Resistance to the introduction of technology does not simply stem from the fear of change that comes with new devices replacing existing methods. Technology often acts as a threat to the public’s access to competitions. In a world where not everyone can afford expensive full-body swimsuits or high-tech equipment, competition methods that rely on such equipment conflict with the nature of sports as a “sharing culture.” When elements that hinder the public’s access to sports are introduced, sports are at risk of being reduced to a field that only a certain minority can enjoy.
In this way, two elements, “universality” and “accessibility,” are essential for a particular sport to maintain its characteristics as a shared culture. This is also the reason why football is more reluctant to adopt the Hawkeye system than tennis. Football is the sport most loved by the largest number of people in the world, and it should be easily accessible at a low cost. However, the introduction of advanced equipment such as Hawkeye increases the cost of equipment and competition, which reduces the accessibility of the sport to the general public. On the other hand, fencing and tennis, which have relatively small shared groups, have introduced technology earlier and have accepted new systems to a relatively limited extent.
Balancing the sustainable development of sports and accessibility to the general public
Unconditionally excluding or opposing the introduction of technology is not the solution. Technology is also an important tool that can ensure the fairness of the game and provide spectators with a more sophisticated sports viewing experience by reducing the number of controversial calls. For example, the introduction of video assistant referee (VAR) in soccer has further enhanced the fairness of the game. However, it is essential to coordinate these technologies so that they are accessible to all classes of people without burdening the public.
In this process, support at the social and policy levels is important. For example, by establishing a program to introduce technical sports equipment or advanced devices to public schools and local sports facilities, it is possible to provide people of various ages and classes with an opportunity to easily experience and understand advanced sports technology. Such measures are not only for social reciprocity, but are ultimately necessary for the long-term development of sports.
Therefore, it is important to think about ways to maintain popularity and fairness at the same time, rather than simply seeing the introduction of technology as a tool to improve the game. This will help sports become a shared culture in itself and help more people experience the true value of sports.
