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| Association of Sports Timing Companies | |
|---|---|
| Name | Association of Sports Timing Companies |
| Abbrev | ASTC |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Type | Trade association |
| Headquarters | Geneva |
| Region served | Global |
| Membership | Timing firms, technology providers, event organizers |
| Leader title | President |
Association of Sports Timing Companies
The Association of Sports Timing Companies is a trade association representing firms that provide timing, results, and measurement services to Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, World Athletics Championships, and other major Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games events. It promotes technical standards, certification, and best practices among providers who serve IOC-sanctioned competitions, continental federations like UEFA, CONCACAF, and national bodies such as USA Track & Field, Athletics Kenya, and British Athletics. The association liaises with manufacturers, event organizers, broadcasters such as BBC Sports, ESPN, and Eurosport and with federations including FIFA, World Rugby, UCI, and FINA.
The association functions as a forum connecting equipment makers like Omega SA, Monsieur-Montres, and Seiko Holdings Corporation with systems integrators used by organizers including Ironman, New York City Marathon, Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Comrades Marathon, and Tokyo Marathon. It hosts exchanges between timing firms and technology companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Siemens, Intel Corporation, Qualcomm, and Cisco Systems to address challenges encountered at multi-sport events like the European Games, Asian Games, and African Games. Members collaborate on interoperability with broadcast partners including Sky Sports, NBC Sports, TF1, and on data distribution to platforms like Strava, Garmin, and Polar Electro.
Founded during the expansion of digital timing in the 1990s, the association emerged amid technological advances driven by companies such as Omega SA, Seiko Holdings Corporation, TAG Heuer, and suppliers of chip timing like MYLAPS Sports Timing and IPICO Sports. Early collaborations involved major events including the Atlanta 1996, the Sydney 2000, and the Athens 2004, with technical exchanges involving organizers from USOC, Australian Olympic Committee, and the Hellenic Olympic Committee. The association’s evolution tracked the rise of RFID timing used at marathons like Chicago Marathon and Berlin Marathon, and the integration of photo finish technology used in competitions overseen by World Athletics, FINA, and UCI.
The association’s membership spans private companies, technology vendors, and consulting firms including integrated service providers working with Aon, GMR Group, Lagardère Sports, and Infront Sports & Media. Governance typically comprises a board with representatives from notable members with backgrounds at brands like Omega SA, Seiko Holdings Corporation, MYLAPS Sports Timing, and national timing companies used at events by Athletics Federations and organizing committees such as OCOG teams from Rio de Janeiro, London, and Tokyo. Advisory committees often include representatives from federations like World Athletics, FIFA, World Rowing (FISA), IBU, and broadcast partners Eurosport and BBC Sports.
The association develops technical specifications influenced by standards bodies such as ISO and collaborates with laboratories and consultancies like TÜV SÜD and SGS to validate timing systems. Certification schemes reference practices used at Olympic Games and continental championships, aligning with protocols employed by World Athletics for photo finish, FINA for aquatic timing, and UCI for cycling time trials. The association issues guidelines for RFID transponders, chip timing, backup systems, redundancy practices utilized at FIFA World Cup matches, and protocols adopted during high-profile esports events organized by groups like ESL and DreamHack.
Activities include annual conferences, technical workshops, and live demonstrations held in collaboration with trade shows such as ISE (Integrated Systems Europe), CES, Hannover Messe, and sports expos hosted alongside IOC meetings and IAAF councils. The association runs training for event technicians, accreditation programs used by organizing committees of the Commonwealth Games Federation and offers arbitration support during disputes similar to those adjudicated at CAS. It facilitates procurement briefings for hosts of World Aquatics Championships and continental tours like the UCI WorldTour and supports emergency-response coordination with logistics firms including A.P. Moller–Maersk and DHL.
Through partnerships with broadcasters (NBC Sports, Sky Sports, ESPN), federations (World Athletics, FIFA, UCI), technology firms (Intel, Siemens, Qualcomm), and manufacturers (Omega SA, Seiko Holdings Corporation), the association has influenced adoption of unified result feeds, data APIs consumed by platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook, and integration with athlete-management services like TeamSnap and Athlete Monitoring Systems. Its standards have been referenced in procurement documents for Olympic Games organizing committees and continental championships, affecting supply chains that include companies like Siemens and Bosch.
Prominent member companies include Omega SA, Seiko Holdings Corporation, MYLAPS Sports Timing, IPICO Sports, ChampionChip, and regional specialists who serviced major events including the Olympic Games (Atlanta, Sydney, London, Rio, Tokyo), the FIFA World Cup tournaments, the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, the UCI Road World Championships, the World Aquatics Championships, and marquee marathons such as New York City Marathon, Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Berlin Marathon, and Chicago Marathon. The association has been present at industry events including CES, Integrated Systems Europe, and federation congresses convened by IOC and World Athletics.
Category:Sports organizations