Australian Open Expands Use Facial Recognition Entry System

The Australian Open tennis tournament has expanded its facial recognition technology implementation for 2025, building upon last year’s limited trial. The tournament’s conditions of entry now include a privacy clause notifying attendees that security cameras may use facial recognition technology for security and safety purposes.

The system, developed through a partnership between Wicket and Ticketmaster, allows spectators to upload a selfie and link it to their Ticketmaster account, enabling face-scanning entry instead of traditional ticket presentation. This expansion follows the 2024 AO Express Entry trial, which was limited to select corporate guests. The implementation builds on Wicket’s successful deployments across major sporting venues, including their comprehensive rollout across NFL stadiums and notable success with the Cleveland Browns, where the technology significantly reduced entry times.

“The biggest thing is removing friction and just making that process easier,” said Wicket Chief Operating Officer Jeff Boehm in comments to a domestic paper. “Helping patrons get into a venue faster… because they’re not there to stand in line.”

The technology converts facial data into mathematical representations, with matching performed locally at entry points. Boehm emphasizes the security measures in place: “The facial matching happens locally on site. At the iPad level… if somebody were to steal that iPad, there’s no actual pictures there.”

Tennis Australia maintains control over the data storage duration in their secure cloud system, following similar protocols to those established in other major sporting venues using biometric access systems.

The implementation has garnered interest from other sporting organizations, with an AFL club already conducting trials and additional Australian sports teams exploring similar systems. This follows a global trend in sports venue management, where biometric verification systems are seeing rapid adoption. The tournament experienced some technical challenges during initial days, including non-functional iPads at the Garden Square entrance. Tennis Australia plans to conduct a post-event evaluation to assess the system’s performance.

The adoption of facial recognition technology at major sporting events represents an emerging trend in venue management. Gartner analyst Nick Ingelbrecht observes this shift, noting, “The technology is evolving. People’s attitudes to facial verification are changing.”

Source: The Age

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January 13, 2025 – by Ali Nassar-Smith