Russian Football Union Signs Cooperation Agreement with Rigour Technology in the VAR Field - Chinese Company to Provide Virtual Offside Line Technology Equipment

On February 3rd, the Russian Football Union and Rigour Technology Co., Ltd. held a signing ceremony at the Russian Football Union headquarters, where the Chinese company will provide virtual offside line technology equipment to the Russian side. Maxim Lebedevich Mitrofanov, Secretary-General of the Russian Football Union, Pavel Yuryevich Kamyshanov, Minister of Refereeing, Liu Zheng, Chairman of Beijing Rigour Technology Co., Ltd., and others attended the signing ceremony. They jointly witnessed the milestone moment of cooperation between Chinese Technology Company and Russian sports.

Offside Technology has been applied in the graphic analysis of potential offside scenarios in football. The Russian Football Union is one of the most advanced football associations. Currently, the technology has been tested in selected matches of the Russian Premier League. By the end of this season, the technology is planned to be used to all matches and TV broadcasts of the Russian League.

Beijing Rigour Technology Co., Ltd. has been dedicated to the research and development of sports computer vision technology since 2007. The company has always adhered to the path of independent research and development and has continuously made breakthroughs in the field of sports technology. The Ministry of Science and Technology and the General Administration of Sport of China have certified Rigour Technology for developing an artificial intelligence system for tracking, recognizing, and analyzing multiple sports targets.
Maxim Mitrofanov, the Secretary-General of the Russian Football Union, stated that when choosing a new partner for the offside line system, quality, accuracy, and operational speed are crucial evaluation criteria for them. Rigour Technology has shown excellent performance during the testing process.

Pavel Yuryevich Kamantsev, the Minister of Refereeing, revealed that the Russian Football Union had been searching for a new supplier even before the end of the previous season. Due to the complexity of the offside line technology, there are limited companies worldwide capable of providing high-quality services. In the final stage, a choice was made among numerous suppliers, and after testing in selected matches of the Russian Premier League, the best-performing technology was selected. The Russian side values this cooperation greatly and hopes to apply it to a broader range of matches in addition to the Russian Premier League.
Mitrofanov emphasized that the collaboration between the Russian Football Union and Rigour Technology will not be limited to providing offside line technology. "Since 2019, VAR (of which the Offside Technology System is a part) has been implemented in Russia, and during this period, we have accumulated a wealth of experience in technological applications. Currently, we have already made suggestions to our Chinese partners on how to improve the system. In addition, we have proposed cooperation suggestions at the procedural and technical parameter levels," he said.
  It is worth mentioning that during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, the leaders of China and Russia jointly announced the launch of the 2022-2023 Sino-Russian Year of Sports Exchange. This further highlights the special significance of sports exchange in the inheritance of Sino-Russian generational friendship and the development of relations. The two sides will carry out over 600 exchange activities under the framework of the Year of Sports Exchange, covering various fields of competitive sports, mass sports, sports industry, sports research, youth sports, and Para sports.
Liu Zheng expressed Rigour Technology's honor to establish a connection with Russian sports. He thanked Alexander Valerievich Dyukov, Chairman of the Russian Football Union, Maxim Lebedevich Mitrofanov, Secretary-General, Pavel Yuryevich Kamantsev, Minister of Refereeing, the VAR Project Office, other staff members of the Russian Football Union, and various clubs for their trust in Rigour Technology. 
Liu Zheng revealed that the collaboration with the Russian Football Union is just the first step, and they are also preparing to provide the most favorable conditions to integrate the VAR and VOL projects in the Russian Premier League and the First Division. Additionally, they are promoting cooperation with Russia in sports such as table tennis, tennis, winter sports, and more. "Rigour Technology will live up to expectations, continuously improve technological and service levels, and contribute to the friendly cooperation between China and Russia in sports," said Liu Zheng.