Cyberport’s SportsTech startups create new digital experiences from training for professional athletes to public fitness and leisure activities
- Written by The Bulletin
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 11 July 2022 - Sports are not only an essential aspect of public health, they also represent a huge industry. As technology has become indispensable in our daily lives and has been applied to professional athletic training, daily fitness and leisure, and even education, SportsTech's market potential is huge.
The global SportsTech market size was estimated at USD 16.17 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 17.8% to reach USD 36.81 billion by 2027. Cyberport's community start-ups have developed a variety of SportsTech solutions, ranging from training designed to enhance professional athletes' skills and physical conditioning to fitness and leisure for the general public. Some top athletes also use their knowledge and experience to develop solutions that promote the popularisation of sports. 
Eric Chan, Chief Public Mission Officer of Cyberport, said, "Sports require fitness, stamina, skills, and teamwork. With the help of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, virtual reality, and the Internet of Things, professional athletes' peak performance will be further enhanced and sports professionalisation will grow. On the other hand, SportsTech can help create a sports-for-all atmosphere as it enables the public to more easily enjoy exercise. Cyberport start-ups provide SportsTech solutions that satisfy diverse customer needs, and quite a few start-ups offer technologies that can be further developed into SportsTech. With the government's strong support for local sports development and promotion of sports industrialisation, coupled with the support of sports technology research funds, we believe significant business opportunities will be opened up for I&T enterprises."
Big data + research can boost professional athletes' performance
Big data analysis is the key to effectively improving athletes' performance and increasing their odds in competitions. Athleta Pro, one of Cyberport's start-ups, has collaborated with a local university to develop an athlete management system. By collecting and analysing data about football players' performance, such as the time it takes them to complete a particular training objective, coaches are able to comprehensively monitor their players' physical and technical performance. They can identify athletes' strengths and weaknesses and develop personalised training and competition strategies. The system can also be tweaked to meet the training needs of various sports.
A Champs, another start-up rooted in Cyberport, has developed an interactive sports device. With the help of the application, football coaches can select a training mode designed by the start-up's professional team, within which coloured lights and sounds remind players to dribble a soccer ball and train their reaction and speed. The device will record players' response data and, through big data analysis, the coach can design more precise drills based on each athlete's performance.
Exercise videos allow users to practice anytime
During the pandemic, people turned to exercising at home. SportsTech can make home exercise more appealing. Pakhung Cheung, the world jump rope individual champion, has developed a rope skipping application named ROJU. It offers more than 200 videos with different levels of difficulty according to world competition standards, allowing users to practice at any time according to their goals. The system is going to launch a rope skipping recognition function, and users can upload their skipping for the ROJU professional team's evaluation. Users will discover whether their movements meet world standards and will be motivated to practice.
Smart devices create new virtual sports experiences
New smart devices allow users to enjoy a wide range of sports without geographical restrictions. Asia Motion E-Sports utilises augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) technology to bring users an immersive experience of virtual sports such as skiing, horse racing and canoeing. Users can experience these sports in a safe environment through smart devices, while saving travelling time. The start-up also incorporates elements of competition in order to increase the excitement.
Another Cyberport start-up, Master Snooker Kingdom, was founded by the world's top British snooker player, Marco Fu. The start-up provides children with quality snooker training as well as STEM knowledge: they can both learn British snooker skills and understand the physics behind them. Projectors and motion sensors can be added to project the best hitting position on the billiard table, which will help analyse students' performance and further equip them to become "masters of snooker".
Platforms connect sports lovers worldwide to share the joy of competition
Sports can gather a group of enthusiasts to share the joy of exercising together. The start-up Joint Concept Dynamic has set up an online running platform, Run2gather. Runners can enjoy competing with other runners, regardless of time zone and region, by simply uploading their records through the platform or application. The platform also holds special themed events from time to time, which aim to attract more people to join the sport's community.
Multiple start-ups within the Cyberport community also provide SportsTech solutions. If members of the press wish to learn more about them, please get in touch with Cyberport's Marketing Communications Team.
Hashtag: #Cyberport
About Cyberport
Cyberport is an innovative digital community with over 1,800 members including over 800 on-site and 900 off-site start-ups and technology companies. It is managed by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, wholly owned by the Hong Kong SAR Government. With a vision to be the hub for digital technology, thereby creating a new economic driver for Hong Kong, Cyberport is committed to nurturing a vibrant tech ecosystem by cultivating talent, promoting entrepreneurship among youth, supporting start-ups, fostering industry development by promoting strategic collaboration with local and international partners, and integrating new and traditional economies by accelerating digital transformation in public and private sectors.
For more information, please visit www.cyberport.hk
