Ensuring Transparent Decisions: Dartfish VAR with the Korea Hockey Association

The Korea Hockey Association (KHA) has adopted Dartfish Video Review (VAR) technology to support umpire and reinforce fairness and transparency in domestic hockey matches. 

The Growing Role of Video in Hockey 

In recent years, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology has become a transformative force in hockey, reshaping how the sport is officiated at both international and national levels. Initially introduced to ensure fairness during critical match situations, VAR now plays a central role in verifying goals, penalty corners, and potential fouls—moments that can decisively influence a game’s outcome. With multilayered camera angles and slow-motion replays, VAR enhances accuracy, reduces human error, and brings greater transparency to decision-making. 

Its integration into major tournaments like the Olympic Games and the Hockey World Cup by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) underscores the global momentum behind this technology. As more federations seek reliable and easy-to-implement solutions, platforms like Dartfish VAR are proving essential—not only to support umpires during high-stakes moments but also to align with global standards and elevate the viewing experience for fans. 

By adopting VAR, forward-thinking organizations like the Korea Hockey Association are leading the way in modernizing officiating in domestic competitions.

How the Korea Hockey Association Implements Dartfish VAR 

The Dartfish VAR system delivers multi-angle video footage, allowing for in-depth review of controversial decisions based on team requests. 

Four broadcast SDI cameras feed into the Dartfish platform via IP conversion encoders, providing efficient and reliable multi-angle video capture for VAR analysis.

By using existing SDI broadcast cameras for both live coverage and VAR, the KHA avoids the high cost of dedicated VAR cameras—making the setup financially sustainable.  

Umpires can review each incident in slow motion, zoom in, and analyze frame by frame. The decision process typically takes just 20 seconds to 1 minute.

When available, results are displayed on the stadium’s large LED screen for all fans, umpires, teams, and coaches—promoting complete transparency.

Furthermore, two Dartfish VAR systems are used simultaneously to support the primary system, providing better, more reliable redundancy in the event of an emergency.  

Crucially, this VAR-ready setup doubles as a live performance lab for teams. Using the same SDI/IP pipeline, analysts can live-tag circle entries, outlets, turnovers, and penalty corners to auto-build halftime playlists on tablets. Coaches deliver evidence-based feedback in minutes and push annotated clips to SmartCloud for player self-review.  

Discover how to analyze live hockey games and build an efficient improvement report with Dartfish 

Training Smarter: Building a Data-Driven Future 

The Korea Hockey Association, which has already been using the Dartfish VAR system in all domestic competitions since 2022, plans to tag each video review event for future umpire training.  

Through the online Dartfish Smart Cloud, the association currently has approximately three years’ worth of video review data and access to all domestic matches. 

Leading the Way: How Korea Sets the Standard for VAR in Hockey 

With Dartfish, the Korea Hockey Association has set a benchmark for how technology can elevate fairness, efficiency, and umpire development in hockey officiating.  

By integrating Dartfish VAR into their existing broadcast infrastructure and using cloud-based video management, KHA has created a cost-effective, reliable, and scalable solution—without the need for specialized VAR-only systems. Their model proves that federations of any size can enhance transparency and training while keeping operations sustainable. 

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