When we launched The Sports Technology Awards over a decade ago, the idea was gloriously simple: celebrate the things that were rewriting – or rewiring – sport. Back then, ‘technology’ was the keyword. Apps, data, platforms, broadcast kit … all the wonder stuff that made sport look, sound, and behave differently.
Now? The landscape has changed beyond recognition. Innovation isn’t just what you plug in, recharge or download. It now drives pretty much everything. Look at biomechanics, performance science, engineering, sustainability, and design. What used to be clever is now critical. Technology hasn’t just joined the team, it’s wearing the captain’s armband.
That’s why we’ve evolved into The Smarter Sports Awards. This isn’t just a smart (sorry) branding exercise. It’s a better mirror to the sector. The future of sport is being driven by sharper minds, better ideas, and bigger ambition, from the lab coat to the locker room.
The Awards will still be what they’ve always been: the moment the industry stops, looks around, and raises a glass to the work leading the way into tomorrow. But now the canvas is wider. AI is reinventing fandom. Engineered systems are protecting athletes. Sustainable design is redrawing venues. Smarter thinking ties it all together.
For sure we understand that some people working in certain sports or regions might still be using technology older than they are but be in no doubt, that will change very soon.
We backed technology before the rest of the industry caught on. We were right then, and we’re backing smarter now. Because the next decade isn’t just about downloads, plugins or recharging, it’s about intelligence in all its forms: human, digital, scientific, and creative.
That’s why The Sports Technology Awards are becoming The Smarter Sports Awards. It’s not branding. It’s the future.
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