WSO partners with DigiMithril to bring AI into squash refereeing

World Squash Officiating (WSO), the organisation dedicated to the regulation and development of squash officiating worldwide, has signed a partnership with US-based startup DigiMithril to bring artificial intelligence (AI) into squash refereeing.

DigiMithril, founded by tech entrepreneur Pragun Seth, has created a state-of-the-art AI platform - IntelliReferee - to detect interference in squash and make objective decisions in real-time. The platform will initially be tested at major events during the 2024-25 PSA Squash Tour season, with plans to integrate the technology into refereeing in the future.

"IntelliReferee is a pioneer in the intersection of sports and AI and will have a tremendous impact on the game we know and love. At DigiMithril, we're proud and honoured to have partnered with WSO to bring IntelliReferee to professional squash and we are thrilled for what's to come next," says Pragun.

IntelliReferee measures a range of factors - including distance between players, access to front wall, frontal and lateral interference, ball speed and angle - to make objective decisions which are then relayed to the video referee to assist them. The partnership between WSO and DigiMithril follows on from a successful trial of IntelliReferee ran during the 2023-24 PSA World Tour Finals in June.

Lee Drew, Head, WSO: "The partnership between DigiMithril and WSO to test IntelliReferee marks the beginning of a new era for squash. We're very excited by what we've seen throughout the course of the initial testing phase, and the scope of the product seems extremely promising. Together with DigiMithril, we look forward to redefining the future of refereeing with AI.''

Alex Gough, Chief Executive, PSA: "The collaboration between WSO and DigiMithril is an important step for squash. We want to be at the forefront of adopting new technology, and utilising AI in squash refereeing will help modernise the way the game is officiated and result in more accurate outcomes."

worldsquashofficiating.com
www.digimithril.com

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