Russian Gymnastics Federation to Pilot AI-Based Judging System

In a push for fairness, Russia is turning to artificial intelligence to minimize bias in sports judging—starting with gymnastics.

Russia is introducing artificial intelligence to assist with sports judging, aiming to reduce subjectivity and improve fairness in scoring. The initiative was announced by the Russian Gymnastics Federation. According to its president, Oleg Belozyorov, the new technology will help standardize evaluations across competitions.

Requirements for the AI system are currently being developed, with the goal of significantly enhancing judging accuracy. The Federation already uses a digital information system that offers access to data on affiliated sports, divisions, judges, official regulations, and event calendars. It also supports licensing applications.

In 2024, AI was used for the first time in judging a boxing match. While the AI and human judges agreed on the winner, the scoring differed noticeably. AI has also been applied in combat sports to predict match outcomes, offering new tools for analytics and performance forecasting.