A new chapter in sports accessibility was written last Friday at theUnipol Domus on the occasion of the match between Cagliari and Verona. For the first time in Italy, blind and partially sighted fans were able to live an immersive experience thanks to Touch2See, an innovative device that is revolutionizing access to sporting events for people with visual impairments.
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The system, already successfully used in France in football, basketball and rugby, as well as the official partner of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and Africa Cup of Nations, is composed of a tablets which reproduces a miniature playing field. On the device, a magnetic disk moves in real time following the action of the game, while a variable vibration transmits the intensity of the game actions.
The experience is enriched by an audio description: during Cagliari-Verona, the radio commentary was provided by Radio, offering a complete context on the progress of the match. The experiment was made possible thanks to the support of Serie A League and hawk-eye, a leading company in trajectory detection and official supplier of technologies such as VAR, GLT (Goal Line Technology) and player and ball tracking.
Cagliari Calcio's comment
“We are proud to have been the first club in Italy to introduce Touch2See,” said Mark Pumpkin, head of the social sector of Cagliari Calcio. “This project represents an important step forward in our commitment to inclusion. Seeing the excitement of the kids in 'watching' the game through a new sensory experience is a great satisfaction. We thank the Alloy Serie A for enthusiastically supporting this initiative.”
Article published on 3 December 2024 - 19:12
Video Chronicles
It's a nice initiative that Touch2See, but I wonder if it will work well for all fans. Not everyone has the same needs and sometimes the technologies can be complicated to use. I hope it will be improved.