The tech game is boosting player goals

When the FIFA World Cup is held later this year, the key player to watch will not be on the field. Automated software will track field violations and enhance the accuracy of video assistant referees.

Potential offside decisions are highly contested in football. Based on a player’s position, an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm can decide whether an offside would have occurred or not. And this decision would be made in seconds instead of precious minutes of game stoppage. 

The Chess Olympiad in Chennai in July will also demonstrate the power of AI in chess. AI is increasingly enhancing the game’s profile. Five-time world champion Vishwanathan Anand says the use of AI can help in training young minds and create a mass movement for the sport in India. 

Sports is pursued to constantly redefine the limits of human endeavour. The achievements of champions in the sports field set the benchmark for humanity. In recent times these benchmarks are being set with the support of AI. Sports is as much about physical effort as it is about strategic thinking. AI and related technologies are impacting sports by improving measurement, performance and training.

From soccer to athletics to golf, technology is playing a bigger game than humans. 

According to Allied Market Research, global AI in the sports market was valued at $1.4 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $19.2 billion by 2030, growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 30.3 per cent from 2021 to 2030. “Artificial intelligence in sports is emerging all over the industry, covering post-game analysis, in-game activity, and the fan experience. AI is further being used to enhance the performance of players,” an Allied report says. “AI software is widely used by sports industry for several applications such as player tracking, training planning, customer management, and customer behaviour analysis. Increase in demand for real-time data analytics positively impacts the growth of the market.”

Real-time analysis is of great benefit in live sports, as it can offer results without interrupting the flow of a game. Professional teams across several games are also using AI to track player performance and predict their future potential and form. Some apps record practice videos of golf players and do a 3D image-based analysis of their swing efficiency.

The predictive features of AI offer tremendous benefits to teams and sports managers. The intersection of wearable healthtech with sports activities allows players to understand their capabilities better and anticipate medical situations. Drones are being used to record the games for a comprehensive view of player behaviour. The images are analysed to predict if a player can suffer a limb ailment or stress injury in the future. Small but crucial body signals can be analysed to catch problems before they balloon into a crisis. Such inputs are not left to AI analysis alone but add to the diagnosis by medical experts. 

Such predictive analysis can be very useful for games where player skills are auctioned in various sports leagues. When bidding for a player, a team needs to know whether the player can retain or enhance performance. AI-based predictive analysis also includes recent performance and training results of players. With such inputs, the market prices of multi-million dollar players can be rooted to AI-based intelligence. 

Young talent can be tracked from training days to league championships to create a digital performance profile. Such profiles can be analysed to improve and customise training regimes. The use of AI to track player performance, improve training and prevent physical problems is being seen as a great investment by the multi-billion dollar sports business.