*This content was translated by AI.
The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) will present AI (artificial intelligence) video readings at the KOVO Cup tournament next season at the earliest.
When asked by Star News on the 16th about AI video reading, a KOVO official said, "Domestic companies are developing their own AI video reading system requested by the federation. "I think we can test-run the in-out decision as early as next season's KOVO Cup," he said.
Controversy has continued over the years regarding the V-League decision. Nine referees will be deployed, including the selection of the judges in each game. Equipment used for reading is also becoming more advanced due to the efforts of the federation and broadcasters. The video review conducted through the broadcast screen is closely watched by three officials, including the referee, the referee, and the assistant referee.
However, it is pointed out that there are physical and technical limitations in numerous situations such as in-out, touch-out, overnet, double contact, antenna invasion, and catch ball. A typical example was the third set of the fourth round of the women's regular league of the 2025-2026 V-League between IBK Industrial Bank and Hyundai Engineering & Construction held at Hwaseong Gymnasium on the 11th.
At that time, Hyundai Engineering & Construction's score was recognized as the first decision that the attack attempted by IBK Industrial Bank's Victoria Danchak (registered name Victoria) went off the court. IBK Industrial Bank of Korea immediately applied for a video review of the touchout, and reversed its decision that the ball was hit by the fingertips of Kari Geisberger (registered name Kari) and was out.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction protested fiercely, but the ruling was upheld. In the aftermath, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which was leading 2-0 in the set score, lost the game by giving up three sets. KOVO held an appeal review committee to discuss the agenda, but it was not easily decided.
The misreading was confirmed only after two days of discussion on the 13th and 14th by requesting a high-definition screen from the broadcasting station of the game. This is why Lee Myung-hee, referee Jung Yoo-yeon, and vice referee Nam Young-soo were suspended for three games each, even though the results of the game changed due to misreading.
The technical limitations are also clear. For example, in a line-in-out decision, in the case of the man's fast spike, the ball sometimes appears to have touched the line due to shadows and smudging phenomena, even though it did not actually touch the line. It is also a part that has been constantly controversial in games hosted by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
It is said that KOVO has been agonizing over this blind spot for a long time. KOVO, which reported the results of the appeal review committee, said, "To make a more objective and accurate decision, the federation plans to improve the video reading system with the aim of introducing AI video reading technology that includes high-speed multi-angle image analysis, machine vision-based line reading, and player and ball location tracking algorithms in the 2026-2027 season."
Although AI was attempted to be used for technical supplementation, few professional leagues have officially introduced AI for video reading worldwide. A KOVO official said, "In fact, there is no video reading system using AI abroad. So I tried to develop it with pure Korean technology. We are working to establish an AI video reading system within three to four years at the earliest, he said.
It took more than six months to find a developer. A domestic company with extensive experience in sports video analysis has been selected, and AI video reading technology has been developed in earnest since last year. The start was a line-in-out decision. According to KOVO officials, the in-out AI decision has already reached the stage of checking the range of errors through games this season.
If AI video reading is officially introduced, it will not only secure the fairness expected by the field and fans, but also significantly reduce the burden on referees and video analysts. A KOVO official said, "In addition to reducing the margin of error, we are focusing on quickly animating the current readings. Quick visualization is important even for game progress or broadcasting. As it is related to the judgment, we try to approach it as carefully as possible. "If we are confident in the KOVO Cup next season, we will be able to see an in-out AI decision in the regular league," he said.
Of course, we are also working on case training for consistent judgment on the same situation. In fact, after each round, referees and game commissioners are attending to unify the criteria for judgment. KOVO bowed its head, saying, "I sincerely apologize to the Hyundai Engineering & Construction club, the team, and the fans for making an error during the reading process and causing great confusion and disappointment."
"KOVO will continue to seek improvements to reading standards and procedures to prevent the same confusion from repeating in the future," he said. "In addition, we will continue to provide integrated education for expert committee members and judges." We will do our best to prevent the recurrence of similar cases by establishing video reading standards," he stressed.
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*This content was translated by AI.
