Startups awarded for innovation in sports-oriented tech

BACKED by top public institutions, the BİGG Sports Awards, where technology meets sports, has found its winners this week at a ceremony attended by the Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak and Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır.

Held at the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Camp and Training Center in Riva, the ceremony was also attended by deputy ministers, Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) President Hasan Mandal, members of Parliament, national athletes and entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the ceremony, Kacır expressed his hope that the BIGG Sports Awards would play an accelerating role in bringing innovative ideas to life in the sports community.

A total of 67 technological startups applied in seven categories, including augmented and virtual reality applications in sports technologies, artificial intelligence applications in sports, sports-related statistics and big data analysis applications, individual and team tracking-analysis systems, training technologies in sports, localization of imported sports equipment and sensor technology in sports.

The top five winners received a total of approximately TL 5 million ($155,230) in prizes along with the BIGG Sports Cup, with Bak and Kacır presenting the awards to the companies.

Before the event, visitors had the opportunity to experience the products participating in the competition, which were exhibited in the foyer area. Throughout the day, various panels were organized with the participation of expert speakers. The relationship between sports and technology was discussed from different perspectives in sessions titled “Artificial Intelligence in Sports,” “Aiming for the Goal in Sports,” and “Sports Tourism.”