In a historic achievement for Australian basketball, five statisticians from Australia were selected to live review statistics for the basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics.
Lauretta Claus, Emma Claus and Daniel Giffney from New South Wales, Mark Harris from the Australian Capital Territory, and Andrew Reid from Queensland are presently representing Australia in this role for FIBA. This marks the first time that five Australians have been chosen for such a task at the Olympics.
"Statistician reviewers are very important, and FIBA's objective has been to expand the pool of FIBA Statisticians Instructors and have more instructors from all over the world. By having reviewers from Australia, we are upholding a tradition of excellence and professionalism, highlighting the crucial impact of their contributions,” said Fabien Hoëppe, FIBA Head of Competitions.
Lauretta Claus, the FIBA Statistics Manager Oceania, has been a pivotal figure in advocating for the involvement of Australian statisticians in live reviewing international basketball games.
Her efforts have paved the way for this significant milestone, highlighting the expertise and dedication of Australian statisticians in the global arena. Recently, Australian statisticians were placed in the top tier worldwide for basketball statistics by FIBA.
“It’s excellent to see that Basketball Australia’s pathways of professional development have created opportunities across the board, from officials to statisticians and technical experts at the Paris 2024 Olympics.” said David Simpson, Basketball Australia - Executive GM - Member Relations & Game Development.
Australian statisticians are responsible for live reviewing 40% of the basketball games in Paris, underscoring the high regard in which their skills are held. This opportunity is not just an honour but a privilege, signifying recognition at the pinnacle of basketball statistics.
A live review is a critical process that ensures the accuracy of basketball statistics during games. Conducted remotely, the live review instructor’s role involves closely monitoring the play-by-play data and comparing it to the actual game footage. If discrepancies are found between the recorded actions and what actually happened, they communicate with in-venue officials to make the necessary corrections to the stats.
The goal of live reviews is to maintain the highest level of accuracy in basketball statistics, ensuring that every play is recorded correctly. Australia’s five have operated alongside a global team at the Paris 2024 Olympics across both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
