Stadium becomes UK first Olympic technology demonstrator

Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield City Council are teaming up to make the Sheffield Hallam University City Athletics Stadium (SHUCAS) the UK’s first stadium fitted with technologies used to support Team GB at London 2012. Advanced systems, including video-tracking and timing, will be available for use by schools, running clubs and anyone using the stadium at Woodbourn Road.

Sheffield Hallam has allocated £125,000 from its Higher Education Innovation Funds to an 18-month project to exploit the systems developed by the University’s Centre for Sports Engineering Research. The City Council has allocated a further £25,000 from its new Athletics Development Fund to pay for the high-tech equipment, which could be replicated at other sites across the city. The project will also fund a worker to promote use of the stadium by local people.

The project also has partners in Adidas, the English Institute of Sport, Nova International (the organisers of the Great North Run and Great Yorkshire Run) and the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, making up a total project of £250,000.

The project will start over the summer and finish in summer 2015, with design and installation taking place over the next few months.

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