As the Official IT Partner of the IAAF, Epson is proud to support the IAAF World Championships in Athletics by providing the results and information services. Innovative Epson technology will be used at the championships to evaluate and assess athletes’ performances in the long jump and triple jump. Epson will also ensure that results and key event information is promptly distributed via the Epson Commentator and Press Information Systems, relaying accurate data in real time to the media as well as to TV and stadium audiences.

The Championships will be staged at the ‘Velodromo Luis Puig’ stadium in Valencia, Spain, where competition areas have been especially resurfaced for this event with the same covering as will be used for the 2008 Olympics. With many of the world’s top athletes breaking their winter training schedule to compete, the World Indoor Championships in Valencia will bring together a total of 651 athletes from 159 countries, all striving to set new records to the delight of what is expected to be a packed stadium of 6,000 persons.

Coordinating the IT systems for such a major event as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics relies implicitly on speed, accuracy and reliability – a challenge that provides the perfect opportunity for Epson to showcase its technological progress. With the original VMS（Video Mesurement System）, for example, TV viewers will be able to enjoy field events as never before, thanks to the three-dimensional analysis of the long jump and triple jump. Moreover, this analysis enables athletes to better understand and thus improve their performances. And Epson’s uniquely developed Commentator Information System (CIS) makes it possible to collate, transmit and view results from the track and field in real time. For the championships in Valencia, Epson will provide a total of 243 interactive touch screen monitors. These will allow media professionals to access in-depth event information such as start lists and results on a real time basis, as well as competition schedules, historical records, athlete profiles, and play-by-play action. This up-to-the-minute information is also the basis for the data provided to enthusiastic athletic fans worldwide by TV and Internet media, including the official website of the IAAF (www.iaaf.org).

These systems will be backed by an international team of technicians, with other support to include high-speed, high-performance laser printers for the press room and for all the print needs of the Local Organising Committee. In a world where fractions of a second or a millimetre can mean the difference between success and failure, Epson's high precision systems play an integral role in ensuring that the World Indoor Championships runs smoothly.

“Epson is proud to be a trusted partner of the IAAF” says Eiji Ide, President and CEO of Epson Europe. “And in the same way as athletes strive to reach ever higher targets, Epson’s corporate culture of creativity and challenge continuously drives us to provide products and services that enable people to exceed their expectations”.

*International Association of Athletics Federations

To find out more about how Epson supports the IAAF World series, please visit

http://www.epson.co.jp/e/community/sports/championships.htm

Outline of the Services that Epson will provide at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia form 7 to 9 March, 2008:

1.VMS

The VMS will be employed for the long jump and triple jump in Valencia. This system analyses field events from new angles, giving television viewers information they did not have access to in the past. Immediately following each jump, three-dimensional analysis will be made to reveal previously unrecorded data (unofficial figures). Such data will show the placement of the athlete’s foot on the takeoff board for the long jump and the length of the hop, step, and jump phases of the triple jump.

2.  Compilation of Start Lists, Computation and Transmission of Competition Results

Pre-race start lists will be compiled and with the end of each race or event, timing data provided by Seiko will be used to either create a new start list or tabulate the final results. This information will be transmitted to printing points inside the stadium and output using Epson high speed printers. The documents will be distributed to IAAF officials and members of the media, and used to send news stories around the world.

3.  Commentator and Press Information System

Competition information essential for television and media commentators will be provided through 243 Epson multimedia data terminals placed in the broadcasting and press seating area in the main stand. The touch-screen panels operate on an intranet-based system, enabling broadcasters and other media personnel to obtain not only start lists and results on a real-time basis but also competition schedules, past records, and the backgrounds of individual athletes.

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