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Hard: Upper intermediate level and above, B2 and above
Introduction
Read the article and answer the questions below. To listen to this article, click here for an audio download.
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1 Use of technology in sports is supposed to be able to provide accurate and instant feedback, with better decision-making and reduced errors compared to human intervention. But is that always the case?
2 The annual tennis tournament Wimbledon made the decision this year to replace their line judges. These have traditionally been men and women who judge whether the ball is in or out of bounds, but they were switched out for AI that analyses camera footage, which should be faster and more accurate. Despite this, the electronic line calling system failed just a week into the 2025 championship. The ball-tracking technology was turned off by a person accidentally. This meant a point had to be replayed, which resulted in Sonay Kartal controversially winning the game. If technology needs humans to operate it in the first place, whose fault is it in situations like these where things go wrong
3 In football, referees often come under fire for their decision-making. But VAR, that’s ‘video assistant referee’, is regularly used in football these days too. A referee can ask for a VAR check, which means that if they are unsure of something, like the awarding of a penalty, they can double-check their own judgement. However, last football season, VAR made oversights which angered a lot of managers, players and fans. They said the system was not fit for purpose and even favoured some teams over others. Despite this, the Premier League’s chief football officer, Tony Scholes, said during the middle of last year’s season that standards were actually higher than ever. “Before VAR, 82% of the decisions made were deemed to be correct. In the season so far, that figure is 96%,” he said.
4 So,why do we still not trust technology if it often improves a situation?Professor Gina Neff from Cambridge University says that we have a very strong, in-built sense of fairness. “The machine makes decisions based on the set of rules it’s been programmed to adjudicate,” she said. “Right now, in many areas where AI is touching our lives, we feel like humans understand the context much better than the machine.”
5 Whether you trust it or not, technology is here to stay, including in the world of sport.
Questions
1. Match the paragraph with the most appropriate heading.
Paragraph 1 ________
Paragraph 2 ________
Paragraph 3 ________
Paragraph 4 ________
Paragraph 5 ________
a. A human error
b. We can’t change the future
c. Mistrust in tech
d. A mismatch of beliefs in accuracy
e. Short-term changes
f. How do they compare?
2. Choose the correct option based on the content of the article.
1. Wimbledon replaced line judges with AI this year.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
2. The match that Sonay Kartal won was controversial because…
a. she only won because of a human-caused error.
b. she won despite technology failing.
c. she won in a replay that was not needed.
3. VAR is used in football…
a. in replacement of a referee.
b. to support referees who are unsure of their decisions.
c. to the anger of managers, players and fans.
4. What does ‘this’ refer to in the following sentence? Despite this, the Premier League‘s chief football officer, Tony Scholes, said during the middle of last year‘s season that standards have never been higher.
a. referees making oversights
b. the football season changing
c. VAR oversights and the subsequent anger
5. VAR has caused there to be less accurate decision-making by referees.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
3. Use the words from the list to complete the summary of the article.
Plenty of technology is used in sport. 1) ________ assists referees in football, and this year 2) ________ were replaced with a technology that is supposedly faster and more 3) ________. Though it doesn’t always go smoothly, and technology has even been accused of 4) ________ some teams over others because of 5) ________ it’s made.
trust
under fire
accurate
line judges
oversights
favouring
VAR
Vocabulary
intervention
an intentional act to change a situation
line judge
an official person in sports like tennis who helps make sure rules are followed, especially in deciding when a ball has gone outside the playing area
out of bounds
no longer within the playing area
switch out
exchange something for something else
point
a unit used for counting how much a person or team has scored in tennis
come under fire
be criticised
fit for purpose
suitable and good enough for the intended use of something
favour
prefer one possibility over another
in-built
exists as an original part of someone or something
adjudicate
judge based on rules; make a formal decision about something
Answers
1. Match the paragraph with the most appropriate heading.
Paragraph 1 f) How do they compare?
Paragraph 2 a) A human error
Paragraph 3 d) A mismatch of beliefs in accuracy
Paragraph 4 c) Mistrust in tech
Paragraph 5 b) We can’t change the future
2. Choose the correct option based on the content of the article.
1. a. True. The annual tennis tournament Wimbledon made the decision this year to replace their line judges.
2. a. The ball-tracking technology was turned off by a person accidentally meaning a point was replayed, which resulted in Sonay Kartal controversially winning the game.
3. b. A referee can ask for a VAR check, which means that if they are unsure of something, they can double-check their own judgement.
4. c. However, last football season, VAR made oversights which angered a lot of managers, players and fans.
5. b. False. “Before VAR 82% of the decisions made were deemed to be correct. In the season so far, that figure is 96%.”
2. Use the words from the list to complete the summary of the article.
Plenty of technology is used in sport. VAR assists referees in football, and this year line judges were replaced with a technology that is supposedly faster and more accurate. Though it doesn’t always go smoothly, and technology has even been accused of favouring some teams over others because of oversights it’s made.
Next
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Learn more English about sport in this topic page.
Learn more phrases with ‘fire’ in this short video.