Smarter Sports
Awards Shortlist
Sport’s innovation economy has matured. The 2026 shortlist for The Smarter Sports Awards, formerly The Sports Technology Awards makes that clear.
Sports. Elevated
2026 Shortlistees
Smarter Performance Intelligence
- Ellipse and Racecourse Media Group: RaceiQ
- FORM: HeadCoach™ 2.0
- Genletics: Metabolic Peak®
- Infosys: AI Commentary
- Stats Perform and Capgemini: TryZone IQ
- World Rugby and Prevent Biometrics: Instrumented Smart Mouthguards
Smarter Data and Analytics Technology
- Genius Sports: ProView3D
- HAND: The Talent Identity Spine for Sport
- Looper Insights: Sports Visibility Tracker for Sports Streaming
- Motion Applied: ATLAS
- Predictive Fitness: Predictive Data Intelligence
- Rapsodo: PRO 2.0 Softball
Smarter AI in Sport
- Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club: BHAFC Intelligence Ecosystem
- Fastbreak AI: Fastbreak Pro
- Genius Sports: Semi-Automated Offside Technology
- Sportradar: Basketball Foundation Model
- The Ryder Cup and Hewlett Packard Enterprise: Bringing AI to Golf's Greatest Team Contest
- Wimbledon, AELTC and IBM: Match Chat
Smarter Coaching Systems
- Blazepod: Transformative Training System
- GSI Performance: Five Fights Framework
- Personar: CoachScribe
- Predictive Fitness: True Training Intelligence
- YouCoach: App Video Analysis
Smarter Ball and Racquet Innovation
- Elite Skills Arena: App Video Analysis
- GSI Performance: Five Fights Framework
- Rapsodo: PRO 2.0 Softball
- SmashSwing: Golf Simulator
- Torpey: Kláw
- World Rugby and Prevent Biometrics: Instrumented Smart Mouthguards
Smarter Athletics and Aquatics Innovation
- Enertor: Recovery Slides
- FLYCARB: BICARRB
- FORM: HeadCoach™ 2.0
- Mizuno: Hyperwarp Pure
Smarter Female Athlete Innovation
- MAAREE: Sports Bras
- Rapsodo: PRO 2.0 Softball
- Stats Perform and Capgemini: AI‑Driven Insights
- Vodafone and Sport Science Agency: Vodafone PLAYER.Connect
Smarter Motorsport Technology
- Motion Applied: Powering the Pinnacle of Motorsport
- onGRID: Global Motorsport Platform
- RE ZRO: Body Armour
- SciChart: Data Visualisation Solution
Smarter Venue and Infrastructure Innovation
- HOK: Avicii Arena
- MLSE: Fan Access
- OnePlan: 2026 Winter Olympic Games
- Rhenac: Sustainable Turf
- SponsorCX: Operational Clarity for Game Day
- Ticketmaster Sport and Brentford FC: Pioneering SafeTix
Smarter Sports Broadcast and Production
- Bolt6: Mojo
- DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga: Bundesliga Platinum Matches
- DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga: ContentOS
- JioStar: From Stadiums to Screens
- Layercake: Media Orchestration and Automation Platform
- RED.Sport Network: Broadcast Ecosystem
Smarter Immersive Sports Experiences
- Blocksport: Digital Fan Experience Platform
- C.D. Leganés: Butarque Mystery Box
- Dizplai: Fan-first Experiences
- Piing: Games for Crowds
- Rover: Automated Sports Marketing
- Vodafone and Sport Science Agency: Vodafone PLAYER.Connect
Smarter Fan Platforms and Communities
- DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga: Bundesliga Platinum Matches
- Racecourse Media Group: #Raceday TV
- RED.Sport Network: RED+
- Beyond Sports: Reimagining Women’s Tennis
- Stats Perform and Capgemini: TryZone IQ
- Wimbledon, AELTC and IBM: Match Chat
Smarter Fan Intelligence and Personalization
- FC Bayern München: myFCBAYERN
- MLSE: Fan Access
- Monterosa: Fanatics Survivor
- Salesforce and LIV Golf: Fan Engagement with Agentforce
- SponsorCX: Fan-Facing Sponsorships
- Sports In Video Ltd: Video Engagement Platform
Smarter Strategic Partnership
- BatFast and HiTZ: Global Cricket Training
- DAZN and Google Ad Manager: Premium Sports Monetization
- DFL Deutsche Fußbll Liga and AWS: Transforming Sports at Scale
- NHL, NHLPA and LOW6: NHL Fantasy Stars
- Professional Squash Association (PSA) and PT SportSuite: Unified Digital Ecosystem
- TeamSnap and Spectrum: Youth Sports
Smarter Sports Start-Up of the Year
- FAN NFC LTD
- HAND
- onGRID
- Payment Labs
- StumpEye
- Total Sports Hub
Smarter Innovation of the Year
- Bolt6: Mojo
- EquiFit: EquiLenz
- HAND: Universal Talent Identifier
- Layercake: Media Orchestration and Automation Platform
- Salesforce and LIV Golf: Fan Engagement with Agentforce
- URUNN: Running App
- Wimbledon, AELTC and IBM: Match Chat
- World Rugby and Prevent Biometrics: Instrumented Smart Mouthguards
This year’s shortlist 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 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 results are finalists that reflect how modern sport is being reshaped across performance, operations and commercial strategy.
This year’s Smarter Sports Awards Ceremony will be streamed live from London on 13th May in front of invited studio guests. For more information about streaming access or to request an invitation to attend, please contact the team.