“Thermal chamber”, artificial intelligence… How Irish athletes prepared using “sport tech”

To best prepare for competition conditions, some athletes have access to cutting-edge technology: “sport tech” developed by Irish start-ups.

Many athletes have trained and prepared for the Paris Games at the Sports Ireland campus in Dublin. Here, start-ups share their technology that is used to support elite sport. Paralympic archer Kerrie Leonard was able to benefit from it, before qualifying for the Games in Dubai in March.I was able to use the thermal chamber and understand what the temperatures would be like in Dubai,” she explains.

A machine, called “environmental chamber”, also allows you to adapt to a possible Parisian heat wave. “We are really not used to these temperatures,” “recognizes Liam Harbison, director of the campus.”So that our athletes are not disadvantaged, we can adjust the conditions of this room: between -20 and 50 degrees, between 20% and 95% humidity, and up to 5,000 meters above sea level.”

Artificial intelligence is also used, which analyses athletes’ performance, tactics, and even anticipates injuries. “You don’t manage footballers like you manage taekwondo athletes, they are not exposed to the same risks of injury for example,” explains Diarmaid Brennan, who supervised the Irish athletes throughout their preparation.

He works for the company Kitman Labs, which also collaborates with the Irish Rugby Federation and the Premier League in England. “This way, each team will be able to create its own risk model, thanks to our generative learning system.”

“We’re going to get stronger and stronger in that area, and that could give our Irish athletes an advantage.”

Benny Cullen, Director of Research and Innovation

to franceinfo

Their platform thus makes it possible to sort through the many data available. A valuable time saving for the teams that support athletes. Kitman Labs is far from being the only company developing this type of solution, according to Benny Cullen, director of research and innovation at Sports Ireland.

“Ireland has done very well in the tech sector in general. We have talent coming out of our universities trained in data analytics, and many want to start businesses specialising in sports.” Ever more technology at the service of athletes’ performance: Ireland, this country of digital giants, intends to take advantage of this and become a leader in this sector.