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The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has unveiled its new ASB GlassFloor concept at the U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain.
The court offers a full video floor and allows organisers and venues to introduce interactive applications. The floor also features the ability to add player tracking, making it possible to display live stats and athletic achievements. It was unveiled ahead of the first quarter-final of the World Cup in Madrid.
Andreas Zagklis, FIBA secretary general, said: “It’s a historical day for FIBA and for the players here in Madrid, who are being given an opportunity to compete on this amazing and innovative surface.
“There’s been a lot of anticipation leading up to this moment and to be able to finally unveil this glass flooring court is really exciting. It’s also fitting that the first games being played on it will be four highly competitive FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup quarter-finals.”
Six Nations Rugby has announced plans to introduce several technological innovations during the upcoming Summer Nations Series, including a new Bunker review process and Hawk-Eye.
The Summer Nations Series begins on Saturday and runs until August 27. Bunker and Hawk-Eye will be trialled during 13 of the 15 games, with the introduction of a Bunker trial designed to offer additional support to match officials and explore its future application across the game.
Referees will remain the lead decision maker during games, but the trial will give them the option to refer any foul play incident to a dedicated Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO) situated within the Bunker. If after two video replays the in-play officiating team cannot determine whether an incident warrants a red card, the referee will refer the incident to the Bunker, and the player will leave the pitch for 10 minutes.
The FPRO will have up to eight minutes to review the incident and will then communicate the decision to the in-play officiating team.
Hawk-Eye technology will act as the independent video replay operator to support referees and enhance the accuracy of decision making. Six Nations Rugby will also reintroduce Ref Cam to offer broadcasters new angles and perspectives from live games, while Shot Clock will give players 90 seconds to take a conversion and 60 seconds to take a penalty kick.
Stade de la Beaujoire, home of French Ligue 1 football club FC Nantes, has been fitted with 60 new antennas to provide enhanced 4G and 5G connectivity for supporters.
The antennas have been fitted by telco Orange, and the network will be made available to all fans irrespective of their mobile operator. Jean-Marc Escalettes, director of Orange in the Grand-Ouest region of France, said the project has cost almost €2m (£1.7m/$2.2m).
The upgrades have been carried out as Stade de la Beaujoire prepares to be a host venue during the Rugby World Cup in France, which will take place from September 8 to October 28.
The Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team has partnered with 360-degree gigapixel photography company Fancam to create new ways for fans to commemorate their experience at Globe Life Field.
The partnership is sponsored by Justin Boots and enables Fancam to capture a fully interactive and one-of-a-kind crowd photo at the stadium. The initiative launched earlier in the season and will continue against the Seattle Mariners on September 23.
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