On May 10 in Yokohama Japan, the site of the 2019 IAAF World Relays, Seiko and the IAAF announced the renewal of their long-standing partnership for a further ten years, until the end of 2029. Seiko will provide its state-of-the-art timing and measurement services to all 37 World Athletic Series events during the period, including five World Athletics Championships.
It all started at the 1985 World Indoor Games in Paris when Seiko was chosen to provide the timing and distance measurement services. Over the subsequent 34 years, Seiko has served at 184 IAAF events, including 15 World Championships, and is now finalising its plans for the 2019 edition in Doha this September.
Perhaps more than any other sport, athletics depends on technology systems for its results. The performance of every athlete needs to be measured to the highest levels of precision, given that one thousandth of a second or one millimetre can make the difference between winning and losing, between qualifying for a final or not and between a great performance and a world record. This is the challenge that Seiko’s timing and measurement services are designed to meet, without fail, in every type of environment and weather, anywhere in the world.
The technologies developed by Seiko for athletics have evolved dramatically over the years so that more data of ever greater precision is delivered more quickly and more widely to officials, athletes and audiences alike.
The ten year term of the new agreement will allow Seiko to continue to develop its services so as to ensure that the IAAF remains at the forefront of sports technology and that spectator understanding and enjoyment of athletics is constantly enhanced.
■World records measured by Seiko at the IAAF World Athletics Championships
The world records measured by Seiko at the IAAF World Athletics Championships has reached 27 in 32 years, seven of which are still unbroken.
| Men | 100 Metres | 9.58 | Berlin | 2009 |
| 200 Metres | 19.19 | Berlin | 2009 | |
| Long jump | 8.95m | Tokyo | 1991 | |
| Triple Jump | 18.29m | Göteborg | 1995 | |
| 4×400 Metres Relay | 02:54.3 | Stuttgart | 1993 | |
| Women | High Jump | 2.09m | Roma | 1987 |
| Triple Jump | 15.50m | Göteborg | 1995 |
Shinji Hattori, the Chairman and Group CEO of Seiko Holdings Corporation, commented:
“We are delighted that the IAAF has, once again, shown its trust in Seiko. We look forward to helping athletics develop and to providing our timing and measurement services to some of the most exciting and popular sports events in the world over the next ten years.”
For more information, please visit the Seiko Corporation Website.