Challenge 22 Adopts "Smart Jersey" Idea to Tackle Sudden Cardiac Death

The "smart jersey" idea that was created by Qatar resident Elsherif Mahmoud, who is participating in the second cycle of Challenge 22, could become a reality in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy said.
For Mahmoud, the prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) on the football pitch is a personal issue. He was motivated to find a solution after he lost two of his uncles to SCD at a young age.In order to prevent this happening on the pitch, he and his team have come up with the idea to create a smart jersey that provides data related to players' cardiovascular performance in real-time. 
Since the tragedy of Marc-Vivien Foe's death during the FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 semi-final, SCD continues to claim lives on the football pitch. "Our innovation could allow us to detect cardiovascular dysfunctions by placing portable electrocardiogram devices on players, giving us a real-time feed of their cardiovascular performance without interfering with their athletic performance," Elsherif said. 
According to the Sudden Death in Football paper published in Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal, up to 90 percent of all non-trauma-related sudden deaths in sport are due to disorders of the cardiovascular system."With this idea we hope to save the lives of players through preventative measures, especially since researchers have determined that sudden heart attacks exhibit signs and indicators that, if flagged early and immediately addressed, can forewarn us about a heart attack. While monitoring a player's vital signs, the data is fed into a specific algorithm that runs an analysis and raises lerts, if necessary," Elsherif added. 
The "smart jersey" team has submitted their advanced proposal for the semi-finals of Challenge 22, providing more details to support the information they initially submitted. The exercise enabled them to solidify their idea and take it forward into a more realistic project plan.
All Challenge 22 semi-finalists have had access to a network of mentors – along with two training workshops provided by program partner AstroLabs – to help develop their proposals. The teams had six weeks to enhance their submissions, with judges now reviewing submissions before they announce the finalists in mid-April.
Finalists will then be invited to Doha to take part in interactive trainings, mentorship sessions and workshops, all of which are designed to progress their ideas ahead of presentations to the judging panel.

Source: QNA