New tech and AI set to take athlete data business to next level

Paris: From tracking the trajectory and speed of a footballer s strike to monitoring a Tour de France rider s real time power output, performance athl...

Paris: From tracking the trajectory and speed of a footballer's strike to monitoring a Tour de France rider's real-time power output, performance athlete data is deepening its reach in sports, with specialised firms eyeing to score big business.

The potential is huge, analysts say, not just for helping coaches further refine training and game-day strategies, but for providing novel content to broadcasters or enticing fans to online betting markets.

Sports data analysis has surged since the days of "Moneyball", the hit 2011 film with Brad Pitt that recounts manager Billy Beane's groundbreaking exploitation of player statistics at the Oakland Athletics baseball team.

Wearable performance sensors, new camera technologies and the power of artificial intelligence are drawing in companies looking to exploit the possibilities.

"When a professional club or federation has data on their players, we can analyse it and make recommendations on how to optimise their performance or avoid an injury," said Frank Imbach, a director of the French group SeeSports.