Epson® to sponsor the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh as Official IT partner

Edinburgh, 29 March 2008 - Epson today announces its sponsorship of the 36th IAAF* World Cross Country Championships to be held in Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March, 2008. Epson is once again proud to be the official IT partner for these Championships, providing innovative results and information services. Epson technology will ensure that results and key event information is promptly distributed via Epson’s Commentator and Media Information Systems, relaying accurate information to the media as well as to TV and spectators.
The World Cross Country Championships is the oldest IAAF World Athletics series event, having begun in 1973, whilst Scotland’s history of cross country events stems back much further to 1885.

With some 568 athletes from 70 participating nations, the Championships that are to be held in  the famous Holyrood Park will be the highlight of a series of running events this weekend in Scotland’s historical capital city.

Coordinating IT systems for such a major event as the World Cross Country Championships relies implicitly on speed, accuracy and reliability. A challenge therefore that gives Epson the perfect opportunity to showcase its technological prowess.  

Epson’s uniquely developed Commentator Information System (CIS) makes it possible to collate, transmit and view results from the track and field in real time.  For the World Cross Country Championships Epson will provide a total of 50 interactive touch screen monitors. These will allow media professionals to access in-depth event information such as start lists and results on a real time basis, as well as competition schedules, historical records, athlete profiles, and play-by-play action. This up-to-the-minute information is also the basis for the data provided to enthusiastic athletic fans worldwide by TV and Internet media, including the official website of the IAAF (www.iaaf.org).

In a world where fractions of a second or a millimetre count, Epson's high precision systems play an integral role in delivering reliable and accurate information quickly.
“Epson is proud to be a trusted partner of the IAAF” says Eiji Ide, President and CEO of  Epson Europe. “And in the same way as athletes strive to reach ever higher targets, Epson’s corporate culture of creativity and challenge continuously drives us to provide products and services that enable people to exceed their expectations”.

*International Association of Athletics Federations

  Back to press releases