Dr : Shimaa Mohamed Abuzaid<br />Assistant Professor, College of Physical Education & Sports Sciences/AL Mustaqbal University<br /><br />SPORTS TECHNOLOGY | A NEW AGE<br /><br />From a Question Mark to an Intrinsic Part of Modern Sport<br />The video camera is perhaps the single most important development in coaching in the modern era of sport. It became common in the 1980’s and provided sports coaches with a way to capture and analyse sport performance like never before. Early examples of sports technology were the photo finish camera, radio broadcasting, standard television broadcasting and the ‘radical’ instant replay.<br />In the beginning, sports technology didn’t always seem like the most natural pairing. What did one need in a game like football other than a ball and goal posts? Or in a game of cricket where one would only require a bat and a ball? How much could one really change? But as we have seen over the years technology has now become an intrinsic part of sport and here we are now discussing the different innovations over the years…<br />1. Athlete Testing and Diagnostics <br />Recent developments in sporting technologies have created a variety of products aimed at improving and increasing athletic performance. Athletic health can be maintained and observed, treat injuries through the production of modern technologies such as heart rate monitors, Kinesio tapes, pedometers and body-fat monitors. Through this, a greater deepened knowledge of the human body and its potential has been recognised, allowing athletes and sportsmen to train and compete in sports to a much older age.<br />2. Sports Equipment and In-Stadia<br />Participant safety at all times during competitions has also been made possible through the development of certain sporting equipment, such as shoes, helmets and body protection to help prevent injuries. Modern sporting technologies have also made competition judging a lot easier and accurate, and spectator interest is enhanced by broadcasting, in-stadium displays and fan engagement applications <br />The world of sports is continuously changing over the years, and the use of technology has had a revolutionary impact on it.<br />3. Development of Elite Sportsmen<br />Technology is increasingly having an impact in the development of elite players across various sports i.e. high performance areas and technology is greatly assisting athletes and coaches in objectively analysing every aspect of performance factors. Whether it is GPS linked devices to measure key physiological or physical parameters during training and competitions or during recovery and rest periods. <br />4. Event and Competition Management<br />As smart phones are playing an influential role in day to day lives of a common man, similarly in sports also it is about having and using cutting edge technology for many aspects of sports to have a definite advantage over the rivals whether it is an individual sport or a team sport. Not only in training and development of athletes but technology is also becoming an integral part of competition management whether it is a small event or a mega event. <br />Without the use of appropriate technologies, no event can be delivered successfully.<br />5. Sportswear & Design<br />Companies like Nike and adidas are spending billions of dollars on their R&D division in designing and improving their sportswear. They have managed to produce kits which are much lighter and consists dry fit technologies which allows the player to be faster while tackling extreme weather conditions. With similar innovations and design over the years they have managed to come out as the industry leaders in the recent years.<br /><br /><br />