Exploring the Use of Technology in Sport.

Even before the term “photo finish” was coined, sports was one of the most effective ways for demonstrating the value of technology. Here we examine how sports and technology have long been intertwined…

Technology has been integral to sports for more than a century. Competition is about human effort, however, so sports technology tends to be invisible by design. It is now invisible in a lot of places.

Among the first roles of technology in sports was to eliminate arguments about results. Endless disputes about scoring led to the formal adoption of electronics in epée uniforms for the 1936 games that were definitive about touches. In the 1960 Olympics, a debate over the results of the 100-metre freestyle eventually resulted in touchpads being adopted. In the 2024 Olympics, two runners finished the 100-metre run seemingly simultaneously. The winner was revealed in images taken by a new camera from Omega that takes a mind-boggling 40,000 pictures a second.

Since at least the 1970s, sports training centres have used electronic medical equipment to measure a variety of vital signs, making training far more data-driven than ever before. In the last 20 years, medical sensors have been embedded in wearables used in almost every major sport, making it possible to check athletes’ vitals and health status during competitions. Positional sensors, such as accelerometers and inertial measurement units (IMU), have also been built into wearables, sewn directly into uniforms, and embedded in balls and other sports apparatus.

Sports data is clearly of interest to fans. Baseball has been using radar since the 1970s and commentators have been quantifying fastballs ever since. A computer vision system called Hawk-Eye analyses the trajectory of balls in play. It was demonstrated in 2001 in a cricket match, and now most team sports use it.

Then there are “sports.” Major chess tournaments are played on e-boards that sense and communicate the positions of the chess pieces. Video game competitions – “e-sports” – are now some of the most-watched events on the planet, with fans who obsess over the specs of gaming computers. The situation is similar for Formula E car racing.

What’s next? Omega says the data from its new camera is so rich that the Olympics are experimenting this year with having beach volleyball competitors not using wearables. Separately, if virtual reality gear ever becomes common, the technology exists to display sporting events in 3D. Artificial intelligence is being used to enhance every aspect of technology in sports. There are many other applications of technology being explored.

Sports is rarely near the top of the list of growth markets for technology companies, but few other markets get more attention. There are few more exciting venues for technology companies to establish their tech creds. The branding opportunities are rich, and technological advances developed for sports frequently end up applied to other markets as well.