The Benefits and Risks of the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Sport

Artificial intelligence is reshaping sport globally, from athlete health monitoring and officiating systems to betting integrity and fan engagement. The IOC’s Olympic AI Agenda has provided a framework for governance, but risks remain around privacy, fairness, data exploitation, and surveillance. Professional leagues and federations worldwide are now experimenting with AI, creating both opportunities for integrity protection and challenges that demand global coordination and oversight

Key Topics:

1. Ethical and Governance Principles: Aligning AI policies across Olympic and non-Olympic sports; ensuring fairness, transparency, and accessibility.

2. On-the-Ground Applications: Lessons from professional leagues and federations on athlete health monitoring, refereeing/officiating, and corruption investigations.

3. Benefits of AI: Enhancing detection of fraud, bribery, and match-fixing; improving officiating, refereeing, and compliance systems; advancing athlete protection against online abuse.

4. Risks of AI: Biased or manipulated data; deep fakes and misinformation; surveillance and psychological impacts; disputes over data ownership and commercial exploitation of athlete likeness.

5. Case Study: IOC’s use of AI for athlete engagement, broadcasting, operations, and integrity management; evaluating successes, failures in Paris 2024 and lessons for Milano-Cortina 2026 and LA 2028