𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂.

The STA Group Access Innovation Newsletter – For Curious Minds in Sports

Here are the brands featured this week:

Formula 1, Blackstone, Indian Premier League India, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Aditya Birla Capital Group, The Times Of India, Sportradar, NOMADAR USA (NASDAQ: NOMA), NurivaTech AI, Vekta, India’s World Premier Squash

Click here to read the latest Access Innovation Newsletter

Your Turn! Don’t forget to share your thoughts or news with us 👉 news@sportstechgroup.org

The Smarter Sports Awards 2026 Shortlist Revealed

Sports. Elevated.

Sport’s innovation economy has matured. The 2026 shortlist for The Smarter Sports Awards, formerly The Sports Technology Awards, makes that clear.

This year’s field spans global technology leaders, elite teams and federations, specialist engineering firms, venture backed scale-ups and start-ups already embedded at the top of competition. Consequently, brands like Apple, AWS and Google appear alongside younger companies influencing performance, broadcast and fan engagement inside major leagues and competitions.

The Awards’ evolution reflects that of the sports sector. Innovation in sport has travelled well beyond software, data and digital platforms, now influencing engineering, manufacture, biomechanics and design. The 2026 categories recognize that shift.

The New Smarter Categories

Performance Intelligence

Data and Analytics Technology

AI in Sport

Coaching Systems

Ball and Racquet Innovation

Athletics and Aquatics Innovation

Female Athlete Innovation

Motorsport Technology

Venue and Infrastructure Innovation Sports

Broadcast and Production

Immersive Sports Experiences

Fan Platforms and Communities

Fan Intelligence and Personalization

Strategic Partnership Sports

Start Up of the Year

Innovation of the Year The Judges’ Award

The shortlist was determined in a judging effort that exceeded 300 hours by an international panel that featured elite athletes and coaches, technology leaders and brand experts. The result are finalists that reflect how modern sport is being reshaped across performance, operations and commercial strategy.

The Ceremony will be streamed live from London on 13 May in front of a select studio audience.

Full shortlist: https://sportstechgroup.org/smarter-sports-awards/shortlist/

Media enquiries: info@sportstechgroup.org