Sports
‘Competitions involving animals must end’: PETA wants equestrian to go from Olympics
Source: ESPN
Animal advocacy group, People for Ethical Treatment towards Animals (PETA), is seeking to continue its campaign for all equine events to be taken off Olympic Games in the future. Senior vice president Kathy Guillermo, who had written to IOC in August for the scrapping of horse riding in pentathlon, believes that equestrian events too must go. Horse riding is already on course to being replaced by cycling in modern Pentathlon after Paris 2024.
“We’ll be urging our 9 million supporters and many others who agree with us to tell IOC what is obvious to everyone: The Olympic Games should be modernized to include only willing participants,” Guillermo tells ESPN, “Competitions involving animals must end and this means horses, who don’t care at all about medals, should be left out.”
Equestrian rider Fouaad Mirza, who’d represented India at this year’s Olympics, finds the rationale unwarranted. He offers that there’s always going to be a case both for and against the sport depending on how one views involving animals in competition. “Ours is perhaps the only sport in the world where men and women compete on equal terms and which involves a human and animal partnership. In terms of Olympic values, it ticks all the boxes of sport, courage, compassion and team work. One needs only to walk amongst the stables to see how much care competitors take of their horses and how devoted we are towards them. Horses are an extension of our families.”
Unlike riding in Pentathlon, where horses and riders are randomly paired with each other 20 minutes before they enter the course, equestrian is built around partnership between rider and mount, choreographed to move harmoniously to invisible aids. Kathy argues that familiarity between man and animal doesn’t necessarily acquit the sport. “Riding in pentathlon is of course particularly cruel, pairing a human and horse who’ve never met. But in all equestrian events, the horses have no power,” she adds, “Agreed, the horses and humans have a level of familiarity in equestrian. But make no mistake, horses learn early on that they must submit – no matter how they are feeling. It’s a relationship involving dominance. Horses may be less tense when they know the rider, but they are no less exploited or endangered.”
As a sport, equestrian is seen as freakishly expensive and overwhelmingly white, and descriptors such as ‘breaking a horse’ – preparing it for riding, haltering and following basic commands, don’t help either. “I hate that term and wish we didn’t call it that,” says Olympian Imtiaz Aneez, who runs a boutique stable and residential riding school in coastal Gujarat, “But to the argument of horses being forced in any manner, whether it’s for dressage or show jumping, I’d say when horses compete at the elite level, it has to be willingness. It can’t be coercion. Horses are tested often so you can’t get away with using needles or painkillers. At our facility, we give them alternate therapy, rest, bandage, multani mitti (fuller’s earth) and the strongest medication we use is doses of homeopathic Arnica or Calendula. I wish those criticizing our sport would look at the amount of care and money we devote toward our horses’ recovery, whether it’s removing lactic acid from their body or loading them on electrolytes. At the cost of sounding pompous, our horses are well-tended to than a lot of human athletes.”
Equestrian at the Olympics comprises three disciplines – show jumping, eventing and dressage. Ahead of the 2012 Games in London, there was a furore over an alleged video of Swedish rider Patrick Kittel using rollkur – drawing the neck round in a deep curve so nose almost touches its chest – on his dressage horse. Kittel would later deny any such occurrence. Dressage, essentially horse ballet, has the animals side-stepping, pirouetting and performing extended trots to music. Aneez offers that it helps horses “stay supple and sound”. Many outside the sport view it as an unnecessary and somewhat ironic routine to put a free-spirited animal through rehearsed choreography.
In recent years, IOC has been trying to address the Olympics’ young-people problem – making itself more appealing to millennial and Gen Z audience. In Tokyo, surfing, sport climbing, 3×3 basketball and Freestyle BMX made their introductory appearance. Paris 2024 will welcome breakdancing into its roster and E-sports will feature as a demonstration event for the first time. This year, IOC directed world equestrian body, FEI, to trim down its participant number and reduce team jumping to a three-person team, instead of four. “Like all sports in the Olympic movement, we received a clear message from the IOC president – ‘change or be changed’ – inviting the Olympic sports to make their events at the Olympic Games more universal, more exciting, easier to understand and more attractive, particularly for new young audiences,” FEI had said.
Kathy insists the core issue is about the practice of the sport itself, not specifically the Olympics but events at other levels too. What put these events on their radar, she explains, was an incident involving a show jumper earlier this year. She received a video revealing abusive whipping in a California show ring by a rider named Kevin Lemke. “We lodged complaints with both the FEI and the US Equestrian Federation (USEF). In response, the USEF suspended Lemke for four months and fined him $4,000. As Lemke was no longer registered with the FEI, that body could not take action. While we knew these events could be dangerous, this year we decided we could not ignore what can only be called abuse.”
Aneez counters the argument of possible harsh training methods and unnatural routines and cites that almost all riders at the elite levels of the sport are animal lovers. The evolution of the sport and medical science he points out implies that injured horses aren’t not put down anymore, instead they can even return to complete fitness and competition. “When we don’t agree with something, doing away with it can seem like the easy choice. But that’s hardly ever a solution. The tough yet sustainable option is to educate those within the sport. I’ve been around horses since I was four, grew up bathing, grooming, feeding and brushing them and today I teach those training at my facility to do the same. It can go a long way.”
Kathy is bracing for a long campaign. “How far we go depends on what happens. But we’re watching. We’re also receiving complaints from those inside equestrian world who are deeply troubled by what they see. Those involved in equestrian events may wish to rethink their future plans.”
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The competition of simulation in motorsport development
Salman Safdar, subject matter expert at Ansible Motion
The automotive and motorsport industries have long been driven by the relentless pursuit of performance, efficiency and innovation and as these sectors evolve, so do the tools and technologies that support them.
Among these, Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulation stands out as a transformative force, offering unprecedented opportunities for development, testing and optimisation. From motorsport through to broader automotive OEM applications, the integration of advanced simulation tools is undoubtedly accelerating progress and redefining the boundaries of what’s possible.
At the heart of all effective simulation is the interaction between humans and technology. High-fidelity simulators provide drivers with realistic feedback that closely matches what they would experience in the real world – an approach that’s vital for optimising performance and gaining that all-important competitive edge.
The ability to simulate multiple racing cars and series underscores the versatility of modern simulators. By allowing extensive and varied test programs to be conducted in a controlled environment, teams can make quick setup changes, explore various chassis configurations, and understand track conditions without the expense and time constraints of on-track testing. This not only strengthens the collaboration between drivers and engineers but also enhances the overall development process.
Only recently, topflight motorsport teams Penske Autosport and Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC) announced their respective investments in DIL simulation – with HRC upgrading its simulator in time for this year’s Indianapolis 500.
Capable of replicating the current Dallara-Honda Indy car, Acura ARX-06 hybrid GTP machine and a variety of Honda and Acura concept racing vehicles, Ben Schmitt, head of the Vehicle Performance Group at HRC US explains in the firm’s official press release: “The new simulator is superior in every way to our original DIL simulator. The vehicle physics models have continued to evolve from the original simulator, including the tyre models, and our data acquisition capabilities are exponentially higher than previously. The new motion platform, cockpit and vision systems create a vehicle dynamics experience for the drivers that is our closest recreation yet of real-world conditions.”
Realism is also key for those competing in the FIA ABB Formula E Championship – providing a data-rich environment where drivers can learn track layouts, optimise energy management strategies, and experiment with different race scenarios.
When it comes to gaining a competitive edge – on and off the track – engineers and drivers are looking for tools they can trust, and DIL offers the ability to replay and analyse multiple scenarios repeatedly, via a truly immersive experience that mirrors real-world conditions. However, engineers also need the capability to connect with a vehicle’s onboard powertrain ECUs via Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) systems – integration which facilitates the validation of critical components such as torque maps and electro-mechanical driver controls, ensuring that both the hardware and software are finely tuned before hitting the track.
One of the standout features of contemporary simulation environments is their ability to integrate with other advanced tools such as engineering-grade visual simulation environments – crucial for teams that need to adapt quickly to changing conditions. For example, there’s no need to wait for a real rainstorm because weather variations can be conjured up with the touch of a button; multiple tyres can be driven in rapid succession; a virtual racetrack can even be set up to loop one particularly critical track segment continuously.
While motorsport often leads in adopting cutting-edge technologies, the benefits of simulation extend well beyond the circuit. Automotive manufacturers are increasingly leveraging simulation to enhance vehicle development processes, reduce costs, shorten development cycles and reduce the environmental impacts inherent in the traditional build-and-test approach.
As the automotive and motorsport industries continue to evolve, the role of simulation will only become more critical thanks to its ability to provide a controlled, repeatable, and data-rich testing environment that is flexible as well as sustainable.
Whether it’s mastering the intricacies of a demanding street circuit or refining the dynamics of a new road car, simulation offers unparalleled opportunities to innovate and excel. As we look to the future, the seamless integration of these tools will undoubtedly expedite progress and set new standards for excellence in both motorsport and automotive development.
Sports
Intelligent Automation and Football: How Lessons from the Pitch can Enhance Automation Initiatives
Neil Murphy, CSO, ABBYY
Football is the most watched sport in the world, with an international passion for the game resulting in some unexpected intersections of culture and commerce. Ted Lasso follows an American football coach’s journey to leading an English Premier League team. Although Ted’s endearing quips and southern drawl might have been mere comedic caricature, the trope of westerners meddling in European football is no longer just fiction.
American actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought English football club Wrexham AFC in November of 2020 for £2m, funding the club’s return to the English Football League for the first time since their relegation over a decade prior. More recently in May of 2023, professional American athletes J.J. and Kealia Watt became minority owners of Burnley Football Club in England.
Now, ABBYY is partnering with Arsenal Women’s Football Club, elevating the trend of western investment from just wealthy individuals to notable technology enterprises.
As enthusiasm for football continues to grow worldwide, these intersections become inevitable, but they’re much more than household celebrity names or mere sponsorship deals. On the surface, using advanced AI within automation solutions might seem like a concept far removed from the sport of football – but this technology has much more in common with what occurs on the pitch than you might think.
Strategy and intent – moving with a purpose
Football is all about control. Without a proper strategy in mind, the ball could easily be taken by a defender, or fall into the hands of the goalkeeper, turning the tide of the game against you in an instant.
Similarly, implementing automation without a clear objective or understanding of your organisation’s current processes will not always yield desirable results. Without proper visibility, you could unintentionally make a bottleneck more visible to the customer, dampening their experience without any gains in efficiency. This isn’t uncommon – 70% of automation attempts fail due to unclear goals.
Understanding your scoring strategy from end to end is crucial to maintain control over your processes, which requires deep familiarity with both your team dynamics and individual traits. Process intelligence, or the practice of driving process improvement through use of advanced data analytics,enables this visibility by combining process mining and task mining into a unified, AI-enhanced platform. While task mining examines individuals’ workflows like clicks and keystrokes, process mining scrutinises the larger holistic process. Much like understanding individual football players’ mechanical skill such as footwork, positioning, and ball control as well as how each player interacts with one another is key to devising an informed strategy, combining insights from task and process mining yields the most contextually accurate model of how a process or workflow can be improved.
Proving it on the pitch
Football fans’ expectations for their respective clubs can reach astronomical heights in the off season, often fueled by the acquisition of up-and-coming talent. While new promises of success can be exciting, not every team will perform as well as we expect them to.
The intelligent automation market experiences a similar trend. The constant upcropping of startup vendors trying to capitalise on the hype train of AI can be overwhelming, with each of them boasting unprecedented potential for efficiency gains without ever having experienced the real pressures of operating a modern enterprise. On the other hand, massive tech-giants will try to leverage their brand recognition and resources to win you over, despite their unfamiliarity and overall detachment from your specific business needs.
It’s unadvisable to jump the gun and sign the rising star that promises to transform your operations without any gametime experience, just as it’s unwise to shell out cash to the household name with an illustrious legacy that’s becoming weak in the knees and slow to keep up. When selecting a provider of intelligent automation solutions, you need to prioritise both innovation and experience, and most importantly, an understanding of and commitment to your organisation’s needs. Haphazardly filling your tech stack with every new tool that promises to yield the best value from AI will create a cacophony of platforms, inhibiting efficiency – take care in selecting your solutions and choose those that have proven their worth in the context of the modern enterprise.
Improving outcomes and predictability through training
There’s no denying that “practice makes perfect.” Dribbling, passing, corner-kicks; even professional players practice the basics every day to stay sharp and dependable on the pitch.
Intelligent document processing (IDP), or the application of AI and machine learningto understand, process, and extract insights from business-critical documents like a human, works similarly. By processing volumes of documents, it hones its accuracy in extracting key information over time. This improves its straight-through processing rate, or the rate at which it can process a document with 100% accuracy without any manual intervention. Leveraging IDP allows professionals to spend less time on repetitive, monotonous manual data entry, empowering them to focus on more fulfilling or customer-facing tasks.
But what if there are more advanced or specific skills you’d like to cultivate within your team, such as bicycle kicks or intricate passing maneuvers? The answer is simple – drill those specific skills, giving your team even more versatility.
With IDP, you can augment your platform with pre-trained document skills that are developed to handle a multitude of specific documents that might be crucial to the full scope of your business. From hyper-specific government forms in Japan that vary per district to US tax forms with seemingly countless variables, IDP can be trained to extract actionable data with staggering accuracy.
Weaving a strong fabric
In sport and business, teamwork is everything. Just as Ted Lasso worked tirelessly to fix Richmond’s tumultuous team culture to bring out the best in his players and weave a strong fabric from their strengths, intelligent automation solutions help drive progress forward at a unified pace.
Adopting a unified suite of automation technology ensures that no facet of your operations will fall behind. It’s impossible to fully benefit from the visibility and insight enabled by process intelligence if you don’t have the technological capability to improve cumbersome document-centric processes. On the other hand, it’s difficult and unadvisable to leverage IDP haphazardly without evaluating where it is most needed.
Bringing the victory home
Intelligent automation and the sport of football couldn’t be any more different on paper, but those with a keen eye for strategy, teamwork, and culture will see the value in applying these to innovation. Implementing intelligent automation doesn’t have to be dauntingly ambiguous – with the right coach at the helm and the right players on the metaphorical pitch, you can assure victory for your organisation.
Lifestyle
Exploring the psychological impacts of a two-month, solo Antarctic expedition
Next month, British explorer Sam Cox will spend two months, completely alone, trekking across one of the Earth’s last true wildernesses – Antarctica.
While travelling 2,000km across snow and ice requires a huge amount of physical endurance, the mental impacts of this journey are perhaps, even more significant.
Alexandra de Carvalho from the Austrian Space Forum will be working closely with Sam pre- and post-expedition, to understand the psychological impacts of the journey.
“The first thing to consider is the sheer isolation of this challenge. Two months with extremely minimal human contact is not something to be underestimated,” she said.
“Our work is mainly concerned with space, and people usually think that space is more distant than Antarctica, but actually it’s not true. It’s much easier sometimes to come back from space, to come back to Earth if there’s an emergency.
“More people have gone into space than trekked to the South Pole.
“To come back to the mainland from Antarctica can be extremely difficult, which exacerbates that feeling of distance. You cannot just be evacuated if you want.”
The only link Sam will have to the outside world is a beacon plotting his incremental location in case of emergency, and very limited communications via satphone.
Alexandra added: “Separated from family and friends, this kind of study will help to really understand more about the psychology of people.
“In fact, this is the main reason we were so keen to work with Sam. He’s in a very special situation, being alone with nobody to share his feelings with, nobody to share his thoughts with.
“It’s rare that scientists can study subjects that are completely isolated for this amount of time, let alone in conditions as extreme as those in Antarctica.
“We really want to get an idea how a person emotionally regulates in this kind of scenario.”
Sam will be taking daily voice recordings of the experiences and emotions he’s feeling during this period of extreme isolation.
Alexandra said: “For this research to be useful, it’s really important that we hear frequent and specific audio diary entries from Sam.
“It’s common for people to look back on an experience like this and say – it was stressful, but it was nice – which is not precise enough for us.
“We’re using audio equipment to make this as accessible for Sam as possible – writing could be a challenge in extremely low temperatures.
“In similar studies, we’ve asked participants to keep written diaries as the fear of being overheard by other participants might stunt their honestly, but that’s not going to be an issue with Sam, since he’ll be completely alone.”
There will be other psychological challenges for Sam, as well as isolation.
Sam said: “An important thing to consider is the 24-hour daylight, and how my body will adapt to that.
“Because I’m travelling during Antarctica’s summer months, the sun will never actually set, meaning my circadian rhythm is likely to get pretty confused.
“A lack of sleep could be detrimental to my physical and mental well-being, so it’s something I’m having to prepare for.”
Alexandra said: “Sensory deprivation could also be a challenge. It’s an interesting environment, but it’s very monotonous, so it depends on the person and how they perceive it.
“For example, Sam might find it interesting to have the colour green. While other people would be fascinated by the sky and the sea, he might be like wow – I really miss the forest and more complex environments.”
Alexandra continued: “This research is not only helping us understand the emotional impact of extreme environments, but it’s helping us understand the type of person that’s suitable for working in these remote places.
“We want to know how people feel in these environments, which emotions are more dominant? How do these people deal with that?
“When people are stationed in distant locations, either from Earth or in polar expeditions, they have to be really trained to deal with their feelings autonomously.
“But we can only do that by understanding when happens within a person and what they’re likely to feel so we can prepare them beforehand. You can prepare, but you cannot run away from your emotions.”
Sam leaves the UK for Antarctica on 24th October, with plans to complete the expedition by mid-January.
He has been supported by Team Forces and Resilient Nutrition to embark on this epic adventure.
For more information, follow Sam on www.frozendagger.co.uk