big data
& IoT
ATHLETIC ACTIVITY
Louis-James Davis, CEO of VST Enterprises, examines the use of Big Data in
elite sport and how it’s helping to push the limits of human performance.
L
ast year’s Rio Olympic and
Paralympic games saw new
levels of performance from
the world’s elite athletes and
new and emerging technology
has had a pivotal role in this.
While the latest hyrdodynamic
bodysuit for swimmers and
exactly what Usain Bolt eats
for breakfast might be headline
20 | June 2017
grabbing, the gear that is really
making the difference for athletes
is the wearable tech transmitting
real time information about
performance and the software
capturing and analysing this.
‘I’ve always believed analytics
was crap,’ so said Charles Barkley,
one of the greatest basketball
players ever to feature in the NBA.
But for all his achievements,
Sir Charles’ views are not shared by
the top athletes of today.
‘One of the most significant
developments in technology has
been data. The speed at which
data can be converted into athletic
training is incredible, and what
used to require several hours in a
lab can be taken in the velodrome