Unbelievable! AI judging on the verge of being introduced to gymnastics → Eliminating "judging disputes" at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics... "Assist or full authority?"

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The era in which artificial intelligence (AI), rather than human judges' eyes, determines athletes' movements and angles is approaching. Gymnastics events, which have been plagued by judging controversies and scoring disputes, are actively pushing for the introduction of an AI system with the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics as their goal.

U.S. sports media outlet The Athletic reported on the 24th (Korean time), citing remarks by Morihiro Watanabe (67), President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), that in-depth consultations are underway to introduce an AI-based judging system at the 2028 LA Olympics.

According to the report, the core technology behind AI judging is the "Judging Support System (JSS)" developed by Japanese IT company Fujitsu. Four units per event, or eight special cameras for floor exercise, are deployed to capture athletes' rotations and joint angles from multiple perspectives, simulating them in 3D models to produce accurate numerical values and scoring data within 10 to 15 seconds. At the World Gymnastics Championships currently being held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, this system's real-time data was provided to officials for the first time across all 10 men's and women's events.

The reason President Watanabe is staking everything on the introduction of AI judging is the judging disputes that have erupted at every Olympic stage. He directly mentioned the months-long reversal and appeal situation over the bronze medal in women's artistic floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as well as the obvious scoring error that occurred in the men's all-around at the 2004 Athens Olympics. President Watanabe stated, "These controversies have left a deep wound on the sport of gymnastics as a whole," and argued that computer-based precise and consistent judging is the solution to fundamentally prevent disputes.

He is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the LA Olympics Coordination Commission, and has already attempted introduction at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. While challenges remain, such as the contractual relationship with Omega, the official timekeeper responsible for overall measurement and scoring across the Olympics until 2032, this time they are embarking on formal consultations with the goal of official application at the LA Olympics.

However, the Gymnastics Federation's official stance is firm. The JSS is merely an "assistive tool" to help human judges; the authority to determine scores independently still lies with human judges.

In this situation, President Watanabe's ultimate destination is different. His ultimate ambition is full automation where AI directly calculates gymnastics scores without relying on human judges, leaving only a minimal number of personnel to manage special emergencies.

The explanation is that entrusting judging to machine algorithms instead of human subjectivity and estimation will make the scoring process more transparent, helping fans understand it better and ensuring fairness. On the other hand, concerns are also raised about handing "full authority" to machines, given the nature of gymnastics events which require scoring artistic quality and expressiveness as well.

Will it remain a precise "assistant" that corrects human judges' mistakes, or will it evolve into a "chief judge" that fully holds the power of judgment? A revolution shaking the gymnastics world is expected to take a significant step toward the 2028 LA Olympics.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original