As the government speeds up development of the sports facilities for the 30th South East Asian Games, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and its partner MTD Philippines Inc. recently introduced the SmarTracks—a tracking technology that documents performances of athletes real time. This new facility will soon be used in the Athletics Stadium in New Clark City, and is expected to benefit hundreds of athletes during the Games.
A live demonstration led by MTD Philippines, was held at the ULTRA Track Oval in the Philippine Sports Complex, Pasig City. Athletes and coaches from the Philippine National Athletics Team participated in the live demonstration including members of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA).
SmarTracks, the first of its kind in athletic performance tracking technology, enables athletes and coaches to improve their training by recording vital data on team and individual performances. Its automated timing system will help athletes monitor their progress and adapt their training more efficiently. This new facility eliminates the need for manual tracking by instantly providing information to our athletes and coaches.
The SmarTracks device that will help improve training of Filipino athletes
(Photos from: E-Sports International/Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee)
Sprinters at the demonstration wore a belt with a sensor to accurately measure their speed, number of footsteps and the length of every step on each sprint.
“It’s great for the morale. Great atmosphere to see the interest, the demonstration and the explanations going on. Our athletes performed well in practices and it was probably the best practice of the season,” PATAFA Head Coach Rohsaan Griffin said. “This year’s a big year and so we need as many measurable metrics as we can get to chart our progress,” he added.
Meanwhile, BCDA President and CEO Vivencio Dizon said that SmarTracks can inspire the athletes to perform their best during the South East Asian Games.
“We want the best for our athletes so this new state-of-the-art facility is an added value to the world-class infrastructure we’re developing in New Clark City,” Dizon said.