Permanent RFID Timing System in a Track and Field Athletic Stadium for Training and Analysing Purposes

In this work an RFID timing system is presented, which is permanently installed in various track and field stadiums for stationary and continuous use. The components have to be integrated during construction time in a way that makes it possible to maintain or exchange parts of the timing system also after the completion of the construction process. The athletes wear active RFID transponders either on their shoes or on their ankles. Measurements and comparisons between conventional light barrier timing systems and the RFID timing system with ankle-worn transponders show deviations of about 25ms. This is much smaller than the timing resolution of the competition rules for hand-timed races (100ms) and can be neglected for training purposes and even for middle distance running competitions. The time stamp of each athlete is recorded, personalized and can be presented via sports web portals and social networks.