During the BDO Men’s World Cup and the Samsung Women’s World Cup held last month, the FIH used the Video Umpire successfully. The Video Umpire was trialed for the first time at an FIH tournament at the Women’s Champions Trophy in Amstelveen in July 2006. Based upon its success there the Video Umpire was adopted for both 2006 World Cups, which took place in Monchengladbach and Madrid. Utilizing footage from the existing TV coverage, and supplemented in Amstelveen and Monchengladbach by in goal cameras, the system allowed referrals for decisions based upon the following three questions:

  • Has the ball crossed the goal line (within the area bounded by the goalposts and crossbar)