Big Data’s sensational role in strategizing Olympic sports
                     BIG DATA’S SENSATIONAL 
ROLE IN STRATEGIZING 
OLYMPIC SPORTS
https://datasportsgroup.com/
The late 1990s marked a different era of growth, the dot com bubble burst paved the way for 
the adoption of the internet and technology. We could not have imagined the infinite 
possibilities it has opened up for us. Forcing us to leave the old ways behind and learn the 
new way of life.
The impact of it could also be seen in the sports industry and a few decades later Michael 
Lewis gave the world a new perspective with his bestseller Moneyball. He revolutionized the 
industry by turning everyone’s eye towards just one of the most important things- Data, or 
more specifically sports data. He pointed out what was right in front of us all along, where we 
were dealing with heaps of data calling it a nuisance, he called that potential. Using historical 
data collected over the year, he weighed players’ performance with it rather than blindly 
trusting intuitions. 
Data Analytics has permeated into almost all the sports categories as teams and franchises 
arm themselves with new information that can help them improve their performance in the 
future. Olympics are not far behind in that race. While the 2012 London Olympics officially 
became the first big data-driven sporting event with as much as 15 terabytes of data being 
generated every day all within the budget of $1.5 billion. Four years later the 2016 Rio 
Olympics also made headlines for its use of data analytics. 
This time though benefits of Analytics were reaped by not just third-party providers but by 
coaches and players as well. After a deep dive into big data, coaches have come up with 
improved training programs and relied on data analytics to study past performance as well. 
Detailed analysis of player performance competition specific and fitness statistics was done. 
The regime of training became even more focused as Big Data Analytics quantified an 
athlete's strengths as well as their sporting abilities.
How is it all done? 
Simple, generating more and more data points. With the use of techs like sensors, GPS 
trackers, and fitness trackers in the Rio Olympics athletes also created real-time stats 
databases using smart wearables like Google Glass. Tracking their speed, heart rate, and 
acceleration and learning how to use it all to improve their performance. There isn't any 
sports category that would not be engaging in data analytics today.
Big Data and the Olympics
Just like one size cannot fit all, different sports 
require a tailor-made solution that can be 
deployed to generate data. For Cycling GPS 
sensors are used to get the real-time data of 
the athlete. In Taekwondo special clothing and 
socks are designed that are fitted with 
electronic sensors to understand where the 
point of contact is. Boxers use data to analyze 
opponents' tactics and weaknesses. In Sailing, a 
thorough analysis of the current of water 
bodies is being done by athletes to perform 
better and so on. 
Data collected over the period give way to a trend and pattern which can be used to 
optimize performance. The only drawback is a lot of factors come into play when we 
talk about performance. It could be weather or home-field advantage which would be 
hard to quantify but affect the result all the same. Thus, a complete reliance on Big Data 
would be a foolish quest but a mix of Data with rational judgment would give better 
results.
This year even the Australian swimmers are relying on Atlantis, a data lake that was 
developed by Amazon Web Services. Atlantis is regarded as the mothership which 
contains Swimming Australia's two biggest data sources for competition and training 
enabling evidence-based decision making for better performance. 
All that we have observed has been focused on improving the performance of athletes 
but some wearables are being deployed that could help in reducing injury. Kitman Labs 
have partnered with many teams with the aim to use data analytics and prevent injuries 
from happening in the first place. 
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, organizers are 
trying their hands at Virtual reality as well 
where viewers would be able to watch the 
matches in the virtual world. NBC would be 
offering 85 hours of VR coverage through 
Samsung’s Gear VR headset and BBC would 
match that with 100 hours of sporting events 
during the Olympics.
We have barely scratched the surface with Big data and in the Olympics as well it remains 
limited but with IoT and machine-to-machine communication gaining popularity this season of 
Olympics would still make headway in the area of Big Data. Now that we have established the 
power Olympics Games statistics could hold, the next question comes how to get access to it? 
Many sports data providers have leveraged the opportunity of growth in the market and 
established themselves well. One such player is Data Sports Group who aims to provide 
comprehensive, high quality, and up-to-date coverage for the Olympic Games right from Tokyo 
to your desired platform. With Olympics API engage with live Olympic medals stats, country-
specific packs, and historical data for analysis. Customize as per your will and capitalize on the 
Olympic fever with the right content.
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