Executive summary:

Sports have always reflected the societies that created them, evolving from simple tests of strength to the complex competitions we know today. Now, a technological revolution is transforming sports at an unprecedented pace. From the football pitch to the tennis court to the racetrack, digital innovations are transforming how elite athletes train, compete, and connect with global audiences.

• Football is leading the tech revolution with player-tracking sensors, smart balls, and AI platforms that can predict injuries before they happen.
• In tennis, human line judges are giving way to AI, while players are using smart rackets and virtual coaching to perfect their game.
• Motorsport continues to be a testing ground for automotive innovation, with remote tuning, VR simulations, and soon maybe even AI copilots.
• Athletes across all sports are becoming walking data centres, using wearable tech to track everything from heart rate to muscle fatigue.
• Automated officiating systems are gradually replacing human judgment in many sports, promising greater accuracy and consistency in decision-making.
• The emergence of new technologies is creating possibilities for entirely new forms of athletic competition, from “enhanced” Olympics to zero-gravity sports.

The coming decades will likely see a more diverse sporting landscape than ever before, with traditional competitions existing alongside technology-embracing alternatives. While some purists may resist change, the most successful sports will find ways to incorporate technological benefits without sacrificing the emotional core that connects athletes and fans. Technology may provide the tools, analytics, and platforms, but sports will always remain a fundamentally human endeavour – a celebration of perseverance, excellence, and the shared experience of witnessing extraordinary achievement.

Sports occupy a hallowed place in human culture. Whether gathering in packed stadiums, crowding neighbourhood bars, or huddling around living room televisions, the act of watching athletes perform at the highest levels creates moments of collective emotion that few other experiences can match. For many, sports fandom shapes identity, builds community, and offers a welcome respite from daily concerns.

Throughout history, sports have continuously evolved to reflect broader societal shifts. The most transformative force in recent decades has, of course, been technology, which has reshaped every aspect of athletic competition. The hand-kept scorebooks and subjective officiating of yesteryear have given way to high-speed cameras, computer-assisted referees, and biometric tracking systems that quantify performance with unprecedented precision, transforming how athletes train, compete, and connect with their audiences.

As we venture deeper into the 21st century, technology is set to play an even bigger role in sports. Advancements in virtual reality, AI, and biotechnology promise to not only revolutionise the games we know today; they could even give rise to entirely new forms of athletic competition that could redefine our very idea of sports.

How sports are embracing technology

It’s safe to say that virtually all sports have been affected by technology in some form or another. In the following sections, we’ll take a closer look at how some of these sports are embracing innovative technologies and what this might mean for their future.

Bringing ‘the beautiful game’ into the future

Football is undeniably the world’s most popular sport, captivating over 3.5 billion fans across every continent – yes, including Antarctica – with its simple yet beautiful game. While the fundamental rules of football have remained largely unchanged for decades, technology has become an integral part of the modern game. Today, elite players typically wear sophisticated sensors that monitor metrics like heart rate, speed, and distance covered in real time. Through the analysis of this wealth of data, the coaching staff can obtain valuable insights into player performance, identify each player’s unique strengths and weaknesses, and devise personalised training programmes tailored specifically to their individual needs.

Even the ball itself – once little more than an inflated pig’s bladder covered in leather – has gradually evolved into a smart device. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA introduced a new ball equipped with a sensor that transmits information about the position of the ball throughout the match. In combination with tracking cameras installed across the pitch, the ball was used to help referees make more accurate decisions about when players were in an offside position, reducing reliance on human judgement and minimising the number of errors. Some companies have also developed footballs equipped with even more advanced sensors that can measure things like spin, trajectory, and force, providing players with instant feedback about their technique.

“It’s totally feasible that an AI agent could simulate more football in 24 hours than has ever been played professionally in the real world in the entire 150-year history of the game.”

Lee Mooney, co-founder of MUD Analytics

Football.AI

Technology is also starting to play a key role in injury prevention. A growing number of football clubs are now using AI models to monitor player movements and identify abnormalities and other patterns suggestive of an impending injury. For example, the AI tool Zone7, which is currently employed by more than 50 clubs worldwide, analyses information obtained from wearables, fitness tests, and medical profiles to identify players who may be at a higher risk of suffering an injury. The system assigns each player a colour (green, yellow, or red) based on their injury risk, enabling the coaching staff to adjust the training intensity accordingly and help players stay in peak physical condition.

We can expect AI to have a greater impact on the tactical aspect of the game as the technology advances. Coaches will increasingly turn to AI to analyse live game footage and obtain valuable insights into opposition tactics and potential weaknesses that may not be obvious to a human, allowing them to make strategic adjustments on the fly. They may also be able to use AI to simulate matches against upcoming opponents, test out approaches and see what might work – all without the risk of real-world consequences and failure. “It’s totally feasible that an AI agent could simulate more football in 24 hours than has ever been played professionally in the real world in the entire 150-year history of the game,” says Lee Mooney, co-founder of MUD Analytics. And who knows, we may even see a football club managed entirely by an AI one day.

Artificial talent scouts and beyond

AI is also transforming clubs’ recruitment strategies. Clubs will no longer need to rely solely on a scout’s intuition about how a potential signing might fit into their team. Instead, they will be able to use AI to translate comprehensive data and video footage on a player’s style and integrate it with the team’s tactical approach, visualising how they might perform in specific situations. This would significantly reduce the risk associated with transfers and help identify undervalued talent that better fits particular tactical systems.

There will be some changes on the officiating side as well, with the recent introduction of the video assistant referee (VAR) representing just the beginning of this trend. VAR – basically an additional official who assists the referee during the match by reviewing video footage of on-pitch incidents – has sparked heated debate in football circles, with purists claiming that it’s ruining the game while others welcome it as a move toward greater fairness. While it does occasionally disrupt the flow of matches, it’s undeniable that VAR has reduced the number of errors and controversial decisions. Though human referees will likely remain a football fixture to manage disturbances and player conduct, more and more calls during the game will probably be made by machines.

Of course, these technological advancements won’t be confined just to football. The same principles of player tracking, performance analysis, injury prevention, and automated officiating could easily be applied to just about any team sport, from basketball and rugby to hockey and cricket.

A new era of tennis

Just like football, tennis is undergoing a tech-driven transformation of its own, beginning with the introduction of Hawk-Eye technology. Hawk-Eye uses high-speed cameras to track the ball’s trajectory to determine whether it’s gone out of bounds, serving as a complement to human line judges and allowing players to challenge questionable calls. It quickly became standard at all major tournaments, significantly reducing the number of errors. Eventually, Hawk-Eye paved the way for the development of automated electronic line calling (ELC) technology, which uses AI not only to track the ball but also to deliver the call in real time without human intervention. In fact, the technology proved so accurate that every grand slam tournament with the exception of Roland Garros has already decided to replace human line judges with ELC.

All in on AI

Today’s professionals increasingly rely on sophisticated wearable technology that monitors physiological metrics like breathing patterns, heart rate, and blood pressure. These devices provide players with comprehensive insights into their physical condition, helping them understand how their bodies respond to different levels of exertion and enabling them to devise more effective training regimens. As technology continues to develop, we may also see smart clothes that could provide targeted muscle compression during play, absorb impact to reduce the risk of injury, or help players regulate body temperature.

Digital technology has also found its way into tennis rackets. Companies like Babolat and Head have developed smart rackets equipped with telemetry sensors that can capture detailed data on power, spin, and point of impact, offering players instant feedback on their technique. All this data, along with video footage from actual matches or training sessions can then be uploaded to AI platforms to provide a detailed breakdown of the player’s movement patterns, stroke mechanics, and serving technique.

Serve like Serena

Players can also compare how they stack up against some of the world’s best players and receive customised recommendations on areas for improvement. “If I am serving, I can compare my body movements to thousands of other players in the world or the very best player that I want to emulate,” explains Lauren Pedersen, chief executive of sports tech company SportAI. “If I want to be able to serve like Serena Williams, we can compare my technique versus Serena and get feedback on how I can improve.” Some training facilities even feature smart courts with embedded sensor systems that can track player movement, weight distribution, and ball placement, offering players even more data to help them refine their game.

While AI platforms are unlikely to replace human coaches just yet, a growing number of players are supplementing their in-person training sessions with virtual coaching. This technology could prove particularly useful for emerging players who may not otherwise have access to elite coaches or expensive training equipment. For talented players in developing countries, this could level the playing field dramatically.

Holographic tennis

Looking further ahead, technology could even help us finally settle the long-standing debate on who the greatest tennis player of all time is. With further advancements in AI and holographic technology, we could one day watch AI-powered holograms of legendary players like Pete Sampras or Steffi Graf competing against today’s champions. Trained on thousands of hours of match footage, the holograms would be able to replicate movement patterns, strategic tendencies, and playing styles of these greats with remarkable fidelity. Sure, AI might not provide a 1:1 replica of these real-life legendary players, but it nevertheless offers a tantalising perspective on who the greatest player of all time might actually be.

Racing into tomorrow

Motorsport has always served as the ultimate testing ground for automotive innovation. From four-wheel drive and semi-automatic transmissions to the now-ubiquitous rear-view mirror, countless features have debuted on racetracks and then later reached the mass market. Today’s race cars represent the pinnacle of automotive engineering, with countless sophisticated sensors monitoring every conceivable metric ranging from tyre temperature and pressure to fuel consumption and engine performance. This data is transmitted in real time back to engineering teams, allowing them to remotely adjust parameters like engine maps, suspension settings, and fuel flow while the car is still on track. While teams currently still rely on human engineers to interpret the data and make strategic calls, it’s likely that this role will eventually be taken over by AI, allowing teams to make performance tweaks with much greater speed and precision.

Then there’s mixed reality technology: today, many drivers already use hyper-realistic VR simulators to memorise a track’s layout before the race and hone their skills. The immersive virtual environment also enables drivers to simulate various dangerous scenarios without putting their lives on the line. Meanwhile, some pit crews are trying out AR technology to improve their speed and precision during pit stops. The technology can overlay critical information over a crew member’s field of vision as they work on the car, highlighting areas that most urgently need attention and providing step-by-step walkthroughs.

AI in the driver’s seat

While autonomous vehicles still face some (highly-public) struggles, AI copilots could easily find use in tomorrow’s motorsports. These highly intelligent systems analyse race conditions, competitor behaviour, and vehicle status in real time to provide drivers with crucial information and tactical recommendations during races. Over time, as the AI learns more about the driver’s unique driving style and preferences, it will be able to offer increasingly refined and personalised advice. Initially, the information would be transmitted to the driver either via audio or displayed on their helmet’s visor. Further down the road, as brain-computer interface technology matures, drivers may one day be able to communicate with the AI copilot or even control their car using their thoughts alone.

However, that’s not to say that there is no role for autonomous vehicles in the world of racing – in fact, championships are already happening right now. The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) hosted its debut event in April 2024, bringing teams from around the world together to put their autonomous driving tech to the test. With no human driver, these teams – largely composed of leading AI researchers – are in the limelight. While ultimately capable of pulling off a successful race, the event did not go off without a hitch: on more than one occasion a car simply grinded to a halt in the middle of the track. Undeterred, the league is returning in 2025, promising improved technology, smoother races – and a human-AI showdown. Between me and you, I think the human driver might cinch it.

Sports of the future

Technology won’t merely enhance existing sports – it will give birth to entirely new forms of athletic competition entirely. Consider the possibility, for example, that technology will eventually enable us to push beyond the natural limitations of our bodies. A surface examination of sports like track and field reveals that new world records are becoming increasingly rare, with margins of improvement shrinking to hundredths of seconds or fractions of centimetres. For example, the men’s 100m sprint record has improved by less than a second over the past 50 years, while the women’s 400m record has remained unbroken since 1985. Clearly, we’ve been nearing the ceiling of unaugmented human capability for some time now.

To maintain public interest in the competition, Olympic governing bodies may eventually sanction a division for enhanced athletes. We might see cybernetically enhanced runners with artificial muscle fibres and optimised cardiovascular systems demolishing the 9-second barrier in the 100m dash. High jumpers with specialised tendon replacements might soar to heights approaching four metres, while weightlifters with exoskeletal support could lift weights previously considered impossible.

The rapid advancement of brain-computer interface technology would suggest a future where pure mental competition becomes a spectator sport. As neural implants become more sophisticated, we could witness the emergence of “thought athletes” competing in entirely new domains of sport entirely. Let’s take this a step further: as humanity establishes a permanent presence beyond Earth, sports could soon also exploit the unique properties of zero-gravity environments. Imagine a football match played in a spherical arena, with goals positioned on multiple planes and athletes manoeuvring in all directions, or “orbital parkour” where competitors navigate complex floating obstacle courses, using momentum and skill to traverse challenging spatial puzzles.

While current robotic competitions like RoboCup remain technical showcases with limited mainstream appeal, the inevitable advancement of robotics will transform this niche field into mainstream entertainment. Future robot leagues might feature machines with specialised capabilities competing in traditional sports but with superhuman speed and precision. Equally fascinating would be sports designed specifically for robotic capabilities – competitions showcasing physical feats impossible for humans. Of course, the real excitement will come from human-versus-robot competitions, where humanity’s finest athletes pit their skills against their mechanical counterparts.

Learnings

Sports are changing right before our eyes. The sweaty jerseys and chalk lines are still there, but now they’re joined by algorithms, sensors, and AI coaches whispering in athletes’ ears. So what does all this mean for the future? Will something essential be lost as technology takes over more aspects of our beloved sports? Maybe. But there’s also plenty to be excited about.

The truth is that sports have always evolved. What hasn’t changed – what will never change – is the human drama at the heart of competition. The will to win. The teamwork. The heartbreak of defeat and the pure joy of victory. These emotions transcend whatever gadgets are brought to the game. Technology may reshape the games, but it can never replace the uniquely human spirit that makes sports so irresistible in the first place.