From the start of 2012, the PSA and WISPA World Tours—along with WSF World Championships—are mandating that referee decision cards and electronic consoles are used at major events, rather than hand signals.
The events covered initially will be PSA World Series, WISPA World Series & Gold, and all WSF World Championships. While there will be exceptions—where it is discretionary rather than mandatory, as notified (e.g., qualification rounds)—the joint intention is that the use of hand signals used by the three referees to communicate their decisions will be entirely replaced by the standard size/color four-spoke referee decision cards and approved electronic systems.
The cards prevent players seeing the decision of individual referees, while the electronic console adds a new dimension to both the decision and its display for spectator and broadcast audiences on all-glass show courts.
