Every second counts: features of skating competitions timing

Competitions in skating will begin on Sunday, but the official timekeepers of OMEGA are already working on the track, preparing everything for the first running.

Even thousandths of a second are at the bank in timing of skating competition. Just think of it at the time it takes to uttering three words - "Olympic speed skating competition ", put a thousand tiny moments that decide the Olympic medals! Current, intermediate and final time are measured in hundredths of a second, thousandths of a second are used to determine the results in the event of a tie.

We are proud of the joint work with the IOC, sports federations and athletes on the development of innovative technologies used in the timing of each race: only the exact timing can determine who of skaters go down in history, winning the title of Winter Olympics 2014.

ELECTRONIC STARTING SYSTEM
An electronic starting gun, introduced at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, again probably attract the attention of experts and the audience. Although Sochi 2014 Olympics will be the fourth, which used electronic starting system, interest in this technology is still great. When the judge starter pulls the trigger of the gun, occur simultaneously three things: first, served a light signal, and secondly, on the dynamics of a sound signal is sent, and thirdly, the start pulse is transmitted to the chronometric device. Skating competition is among the few sports that do not use an electronic system definition of a false start. In the case of a false start, a referee clicks on the trigger twice in a row, thus indicating the abuse.

TRANSPONDE
A transponder is a very light and compact device that attached to both legs of each of the runners. This instrument provides measurement, recording and elimination of intermediate results to video players and teams, as well as their place in the standings. The transponder is also used to determine the time and the final position if the opponent horse swept over an infrared beam reflected along the finish line.

SCAN'O'VISION PHOTOFINISH CAMERA
Finish time is fixed at the time when the runner crosses the finish line on the ice surface. In case of disagreement is used the photo-finish camera recording Scan'O'Vision, fixing points of finish rates of 2000 frames per second. In determining the sequence finishing skaters and the results of each of these timekeepers based on a photo-finish camera data. Once the athlete`s skate blade crosses the finish line, an indicator of its time, descended on the scoreboard and television screens, "freezes", but the decisive criterion in determining the results are indications photo finish camera - they eventually considered official.

OMEGA and the Olympic Games
OMEGA was the first company to receive an official timekeeper of the Olympic Games: it has been entrusted to us the timing of all events included in the Olympic program in 1932 in Los Angeles. The result of our involvement in the Olympic movement has been the development of innovative technologies in the field of sports timekeeping. In Sochi, OMEGA will act in the role of official timekeeper of the Olympic Games for the 26th time.

Official site of Omega.

Press release