Tech's Game-Changing Impact on Sports
Exploring how technology is revolutionizing sports, from player performance to fan engagement, in an interview with Ivan Ortenzi.
The fusion of technology and sports is redefining the playing field, opening up new realms of possibility and pushing the boundaries of human potential. From AI-powered training regimes and data-driven analytics to immersive fan experiences, technology is transforming every aspect of the sporting world.
This dynamic interplay between tech and sports is revolutionizing how athletes train, compete, and connect with fans, creating a more engaging, data-rich, and accessible sporting landscape.
In this exploration, we'll delve into the exciting ways technology is enhancing performance, shaping strategies, and redefining the fan experience, offering a glimpse into the future of sports.
Today we’re surfing with Ivan Ortenzi, Chief Innovation Evangelist at BIP.
What are some of the most relevant recent technological innovations that are making a difference in the world of sports and athletes’ performance?
The sports landscape is becoming increasingly hyper-competitive, and staying ahead of the technological curve has become a key strategy for athletes, clubs and sport institutions. Over the past 10 years we’ve seen more innovation than in the previous 60 years, and the next 5 years are expected to bring even more waves of ground-breaking advancements.
The technological landscape in sports is vast and constantly evolving. There is a huge technological landscape that we can analyse:
Motion Capture, high-speed cameras and 3D motion analysis: these systems are revolutionizing how we can analyse biomechanical data with unprecedented precision to have better focus on the most impactful technique adjustments for each athlete.
Virtual and Augmented Reality preparing mentally for competition: these immersive tools allow for realistic scenario training without physical strain, enhancing decision-making skills and reducing performance anxiety improving the training sets for mental edge.
AI and Machine Learning to predict: artificial intelligence is the backbone of modern sports analytics. AI can predict injury risks, optimize training schedules, and even suggest in-game strategies. A shift towards data-driven decision-making in all aspects of team operations.
Smart Equipment to track the performance: sensor-embedded in apparel, equipment and game equipment is no longer passive. These tools provide instant feedback on metrics (e.g. ball spin rate or foot strike pattern) using this real data to make decisions or to track performance improvements over time.
Recovery Technology to improve the injury time: advanced recovery tools like cryotherapy chambers and compression garments are extending athletes' careers and reducing downtime.
Genetic Testing for individual customization: DNA analysis is ushering in an era of hyper-personalized training and nutrition plans optimizing each athlete's development path based on their genetic predispositions.
Advanced Materials for comfort sportswear and equipment materials: lightweight, high-performance equipment not only enhance comfort but can also contribute to marginal gains in speed and endurance.
Computer Vision for the tactics: tracking systems powered by computer vision are providing unprecedented insights into team dynamics and game flow to support data-backed decisions on formations, player rotations, and overall team strategy.
Neurotechnology: emerging brain stimulation and cognitive training tools represent the new frontier in sports technology. While still in early stages, these innovations promise to enhance focus, reaction times, and mental resilience.
The sport industry is working on the integration of these technologies into day by day sports management practices.
The real challenge is creating a sustainable competitive advantage. The most successful sports organizations and athletes of the future will be those that can effectively balance technological adoption with traditional sports values, creating a high-tech, high-touch environment where athletes can truly excel.
What impact have new technologies had on sports events? For example, in the football games.
When discussing the Football Industry in my keynotes and projects, I always emphasize that the main “new technology” football should introduce is the use of the “actual time”. Once we fix this issue, we can go further implementing or extending technologies like Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in a automated way, player tracking systems sharing the data with audience, smart balls with embedded sensors to analyse performance and to support training, Hawk-Eye technology not only for the goal-line decisions to fully automate offside calls, ensuring accuracy.
We could also improve broadcasting technology with high-definition cameras, drone footage, and augmented reality graphics to improve how fans watch the game, providing new angles and in-depth analysis.
Social media and stadium apps can foster real-time interactions between fans, teams, and the game itself, enhancing fan engagement and accessing real-time statistics. Performance analysis tools and advanced analytics platforms will further elevate the game.
These technologies make the game more accurate and data-driven, but they also spark debates about tradition, the pace of play, and the role of human judgment in sports. The integration of technology continues to evolve, balancing the desire for accuracy with the need to maintain the flow and spirit of the game.
What role does technology play in making sports events more environmentally sustainable?
Technology is playing an increasingly important role in making sporting events more environmentally sustainable.
As we recently saw, the last European Football Championship in Germany had the merit of being the most sustainable sport event ever thanks to technology.
Smart energy management systems: Using AI and IoT sensors to optimize energy use in stadiums and facilities by automating functions and balancing consumption.
Integration of renewable energy: Many sports facilities are incorporating solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable energy sources. Technology helps to efficiently integrate these sources into the electricity grid and manage energy storage.
Water conservation technologies: Smart irrigation systems for playing fields use weather data and soil moisture sensors to optimize water use. Some stadiums also use rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling systems, managed by advanced control systems.
Waste management and recycling: AI-based sorting systems are improving recycling efficiency at major events. Some stadiums are using apps to encourage fans to dispose of waste properly and monitor recycling efforts.
Sustainable transportation solutions: Electric vehicle charging stations, bike-sharing programs, and smart parking systems that reduce traffic congestion are being integrated into stadium infrastructure. Apps are helping fans plan eco-friendly routes to events.
Digital ticketing and paperless systems: By eliminating paper tickets and programs, sporting events are significantly reducing paper waste.
Virtual and augmented reality experiences: Providing immersive experiences for remote fans, potentially reducing the need to travel to events and therefore lowering the overall carbon footprint.
Carbon Footprint Tracking: Sophisticated software tools help event organizers track and analyse their carbon footprint, identifying areas for improvement and setting sustainability goals.
Fan Engagement Through Technology: Apps and social media platforms are being used to inform fans about sustainability initiatives and encourage eco-friendly behaviour at events.
All these actions can lower the overall carbon footprint, which is tracked and analysed by sophisticated software tools to identify areas for improvement and setting sustainability goals.
Apps and social media platforms play a crucial role in engaging with fans, informing them about sustainability initiatives, and encouraging eco-friendly behaviour.
How can technology help make sports events like the Olympics and Paralympics more accessible and inclusive for all athletes and audiences?
One of the great advantages of technology is that it breaks down barriers and creates more inclusive environments, democratizing access to content and experiences to a greater number of people. That’s why technology plays a key role in enhancing accessibility and inclusivity for both athletes and the public at major sporting events such as the Olympics and Paralympics.
Development of adaptive equipment: advanced prosthetics, wheelchairs and other athlete-assistive devices are constantly evolving, allowing athletes with disabilities to compete at higher levels.
Facility design: computer-aided design and virtual reality technologies help architects eliminate barriers and make spaces suitable for people with various disabilities.
Intelligent navigation systems: mobile apps that support visitors with vision or mobility problems to move independently in large venues.
Real-time captioning and translation: AI-powered speech recognition and translation technologies provide real-time captioning and translation in multiple languages, making events more accessible to spectators who are not limited to those with disabilities
Virtual and augmented reality experiences: These technologies can provide immersive experiences to people who cannot attend events in person, due to disability, distance or other factors.
Video content personalization systems: These allow viewers to select their preferred audio description, sign language interpretation or other accessibility features.
Wearable spectator technology: Smart glasses or other wearable devices can provide real-time information, translation or enhanced visualizations for spectators with different needs.
Adaptive sports simulators: Virtual reality and other simulation technologies allow people to experience Paralympic sports, promoting understanding and inclusion or vice versa by making otherwise non-fungible experiences accessible
Remote participation technologies: Robotics and telepresence devices allow athletes or spectators who cannot be physically present to participate or experience events remotely.
Technology will be the protagonist of the evolution of the sports experience for both spectators and athletes in the coming years. An ongoing process, with new innovations constantly being developed and integrated to create more inclusive sporting events.
How were cybersecurity challenges addressed for the Olympics and Paralympics? What are the potential risks, and how can AI and cloud-based solutions help mitigate them?
We know that as technology use increases, so do the needs and precautions for security and cybersecurity. Today, every sporting event presents a challenge in both physical and digital security. Athletes, spectators, teams, institutions, authorities, data, and content all require management through a complex infrastructure due to the vast volume and quality of the information involved.
These events are complex, involve multiple venues, thousands of participants, millions of spectators and represent an interesting opportunity for those with fraudulent intent. Events such as the recent Olympics rely on a temporary technological infrastructure that can be vulnerable. The risks are numerous and varied.
Both data breaches and content piracy, for example, can result in unauthorized access to sensitive information and exclusive content, including names, addresses, financial data, and contact information of athletes and spectators, resulting in significant financial losses for rights holders. Additionally, financial fraud poses a threat that can lead to unauthorized transactions, misappropriation of funds, or manipulation of financial records.
Finally, events can be disrupted by distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks or ransomware, which overload event websites, live streaming services, or operating systems with excessive traffic, making them unavailable to legitimate users.
AI and cloud-based solutions are key innovations in countering these risks. They enable real-time analysis of large volumes of network traffic, quickly identifying potential threats. These technologies also leverage machine learning algorithms to detect unknown attack patterns, offer scalable traffic management, and provide advanced encryption and data protection capabilities.
The history of technological innovation is marked by an ongoing race between defenders and attackers. This dynamic drives the ongoing investment in new solutions, making sporting events both more exciting and secure.
How do you see the rise of esports and virtual competitions influencing the traditional sports industry?
Esports are an established part of the global entertainment industry. Their growth continues as their impact on the competitive dynamics of traditional sports increases.
According to recent data, the global esports market was valued at approximately $1.72 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.7% reaching around $9.29 billion by 2032.
This growth is driven by the increasing popularity of video games and the expanding global esports audience.
This audience is predominantly young and digitally native, pushing traditional sports organizations to innovate their engagement strategies to appeal to similar demographics (Statista).
Esports events are drawing viewership numbers that rival or surpass many traditional sporting events. For example, the 2021 League of Legends World Championship peaked at 73.8 million concurrent viewers. In comparison, the NFL Super Bowl typically attracts around 120 million viewers, highlighting the significant impact and growing attention esports has garnered (Statista).
One of the main drivers of the growing viewership in esports is the lucrative opportunities it offers, offering prize pools that are becoming competitive with traditional sports. For example, The International 2021, a Dota 2 tournament, had a prize pool of $40 million (Statista).
This revenue model is predominantly supported by advertising and sponsorships, attracting a lot of attention from traditional sports organizations and sponsors looking to tap into the growing esports audience (Statista). All these numbers have led Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, International Olympic Committee, to announce last July 23 during the 142nd IOC session in Paris, that the first eSports Olympic Games will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2025 and continue for the following 12 years. This decision takes into account the success of the recent Esports World Championships in Riyadh, one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in the sector, with huge prize money and a wide variety of games.
But above all, it confirms the competitive, political, social and economic importance of the eSports ecosystem.
What technological advancements do you believe will most significantly shape the future of sports events?
I am passionate about the sports industry because this sector is on the brink of a technological revolution that will transform the way we play, watch, and interact with sports.
We will witness the rise of a set of technologies that will be applied together in a synergistic way, forming a new technological platform to create, distribute, and consume sports content.
Artificial intelligence and new machine learning engines are destined to revolutionize many aspects of sporting events. These systems connected with new intelligent cameras will be able to support or replace real-time decision-making processes, such as those of referees or technicians.
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), in combination with greater computing power and advancements in devices, have revolutionary potential. They will redefine the concept of space, stadium, and fan experience both in person and remotely, offering new customizable opportunities for live streaming and interaction.
Even blockchain technology and NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) could revolutionize ticketing systems, making them safer and reducing fraud.
On the other hand, athletes’ safety will benefit from advances in materials science that are leading to improved equipment and playing surfaces: new devices and wearable technology will provide data and insights to enhance performance and potentially reduce injuries.
Robotics and drones will also play an increasingly important role in the production and distribution value chain of sports entertainment.
The future of sporting events will be more immersive, data-driven, and personalized than ever before. These technologies will not only improve the spectator experience, but will fundamentally change the way athletes train, compete, and interact with fans.
It’s an exciting time for sports technology and I believe we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible as we focus on innovation and sustainability.
Ivan Ortenzi is Chief Innovation Evangelist at BIP, an international strategy and management consulting group. Former Managing Director of Ars et Inventio, the first Italian consulting firm focused exclusively on strategic innovation and corporate creativity, acquired by BIP in 2014. Ortenzi shares his experience as a lecturer at ExeMBA programs Business Schools and as adjunct professor at UNICAL in Business innovation. His academic activity is complemented by extensive teaching in Corporate Academy and Corporate School programs. This path has been summarized in his books “La formula della sostenibilità aziendale” (FrancoAngeli, 2024) "Innovazione + Management" (FrancoAngeli, 2020), "Innovation Manager" (FrancoAngeli, 2018); he is co-author in "Verso una nuova «umanità»" (Giappichelli, 2021) and "Intelligenza Artificiale" (FrancoAngeli, 2019) which encapsulate more than two decades of experience close to CEOs and Chief Innovation Officers in all industries in the design and implementation of successful innovative processes, business models, organizations and products/services.