Can technology make sports more equal, or does it only widen the gap between competitors?

VAR (video assistant referee) was introduced in the 2018 FA cup and it helps referees to see if the goal is offside or onside, if a player deserved a red or a yellow card and if a penalty should be given. VAR has improved accuracy from 82% to 96% and it’s used in the Premier League. Although some fans do not like it because it slows down the game, it is essential to have when playing professional football. When VAR wasn’t created, in the 2009 World Cup Thierry Henry handballed the ball which the referee allowed and France won against the Republic of Ireland. This example shows why VAR is really important.

When Norway qualified for the Winter Olympics, the ski team were caught putting extra stitching into their ski suits which was cheating. Thankfully, people found out and the Norwegian ski team had to have an 18-month suspension. I think this was very unfair for the other teams in the competition because they followed the rules whereas the Norwegian team cheated.

The Halo is a glass that protects F1 racers when racing. It was introduced in 2018 and is very useful. In 2014 when the halo wasn't created Jules Bianchi crashed his car in the Japanese Grand Prix and suffered severe injuries he remained in a coma for nine months. In the 2021 Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen’s car landed on top of Lewis Hamilton's car but the halo protected them from the injury being really bad.

Overall, technology in sport can be very useful. It can be useful because it can improve the standard of sport (for example, aerodynamics in skiing) and can help accuracy too. In football and tennis, VAR and Hawk-eye have made it easier for people to check if a ball is in or out. This is a good thing because it makes the game fairer and doesn’t take much time.