IBV, Leading the Field (and pitch)

What state should a pitch or a court be in to be considered optimal for the practice of a sport? There are a series of requirements set by the international federations that must be met both from the point of view of player-surface interaction (more directly related to the safety of athletes and the risk of injury) and from the point of view of ball-surface interaction (related to performance and spectacle in the game).

Valencia’s Biomechanics Institute (IBV) has just managed to extend the scope of the accreditations of the most relevant international sports bodies for the homologation of products, equipment and sports surfaces.

IBV has become the only Spanish centre authorised by FIFA and World Rugby to carry out the tests and evaluations required by these international bodies for the homologation of artificial turf pitches.

In the words of IBV’s director of innovation in the field of sport, Enrique Alcántara, the centre is authorised to “certify that the properties of those pitches in which official international competitions are to be held are optimal for the practice of football and rugby according to the Quality programme of both federations”.

To carry out the homologation of a pitch, the IBV carries out mechanical tests on the playing field to check that the turf behaves within the established ranges.

In addition, as a great achievement, “IBV has managed for the first time to extend the accreditation to also test the product in both sports,” says Alcántara. The centre is now accredited to also certify the turf itself and ensure that the product will retain its properties over time.

Accreditations in indoor football and basketball

The Biomechanics Institute has also become one of three laboratories in the world recognised by FIFA for the certification of indoor football surfaces. At this point, aspects related to the quality, safety and performance of the pavement are evaluated “such as friction, ball bounce or shock absorption,” says the IBV’s director of sports innovation.

The centre is also a pioneer in basketball, having obtained accreditation from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) for the evaluation of barriers, baskets, flooring (synthetic and wooden), seats and bench areas, among others.

Also noteworthy is the role of IBV as advisor to the World Karate Federation in procedures for the homologation of karate protections and the World Billiard Union in the accreditation of table surfaces and balls.

Referents in Sports Innovation

According to Enrique Alcántara, with these new accreditations “IBV consolidates itself as a centre of innovation of reference in sport and reinforces its leadership in this sector in the field of R+D+I and conformity assessment of products, equipment and sports surfaces”.

In short, IBV maintains extensive collaboration with national and international sports federations in the development of quality standards and homologation protocols for all the elements involved in the practice of sport.