Level of refereeing and technological innovation praised at the Refereeing and Rules of the Game Commission
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Lausanne, Switzerland, January 29, 2020 – The FIVB Refereeing and Rules of the Game Commission expressed its delight with the standard of refereeing at the FIVB’s events throughout 2019, as well as the quality of technological advancements introduced by the federation to support officials at its major competitions.
During the meeting, the Commission talked about the results of 2019 and the goals for 2020, with the Olympic Games in Tokyo just a few months away. The entire Commission emphasised the continued importance of utilising new technology, to ensure the highest levels of the officiating.
A clear example of successful technology implemented by the FIVB is the Challenge System, which once again produced incredible results throughout 2019. During the 2019 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), there were 1,448 challenges requested, with 587 successful (40.5% success rate). The 2019 FIVB Volleyball World Cup showed similar positive results with a 38% success rate (645 challenges requested, 244 successful).
In beach volleyball, the Challenge System registered 124 challenges during the 2018-2019 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour (35 successful, 28% success rate) and 117 challenges requested during the 2019 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships (29 successful, 25% success rate). The Commission also confirmed the important role of the Challenge referees, introduced for the first time ever during the 2019 season.
In addition, the Commission discussed the referee nominations for Tokyo 2020, as well as a structured preparations process to help the officials deal with high-pressure scenarios during the Games.
At the meeting, FIVB President Dr Ary S. Graça F° said:
“I am very pleased to see the exceptional level of refereeing we have at our events, and the role of the Refereeing and Rules of the Game Commission is crucial in this regard. With the members of the Commission supervising the work of referees at the FIVB’s key events, I would like to congratulate you on the exceptional job you have done, and the huge progress in the performance of our referees.
“Now we need to ensure that we continue this great work, which includes providing regular training for referees. We need to ensure they are 100% ready physically, mentally and psychologically to perform their duties at the highest level, especially with the Tokyo 2020 just around the corner.”
For part of the meeting, the Commission divided into four working groups and prepared proposals to be presented at the next FIVB Board of Administration meeting. The working groups included discussions on referee categorisation and statistics, referee education and teaching materials, rules of the game and regulations, and beach volleyball matters.
Source: Volley - fivb.org
