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Creating ‘HawkEye’ and goal line tech

In 2001, the technology was used in cricket for the first time before several controversial sporting moments led to it being introduced in tennis and football.

In 2000, keen cricketer Paul Hawkins wanted to turn his passion into innovation when he created the technology we now know as ‘HawkEye’ and goal line technology.

It was first used in cricket in 2001.

Then, after several controversial sporting moments, involving Serena Williams and Frank Lampard, it was introduced in tennis and football.

Now it’s used in more than 25 sports around the world.

50-year-old Paul Hawkins tells Megan Jones he’s not ready to hang up his bat, racket, or boots just yet.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: Dr. Paul Hawkins, inventor of the Hawk-Eye system. Credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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11 minutes

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Saturday 04:50GMT

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  • Sunday 00:50GMT

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