Innovative technology in sport has the entire world gasping to catch up. Technological innovation has many industries revolutionised and changing at a rapid speed. The sports industry has not been spared from this unprecedented revolution. The Sports industry is also going through an intense transformation as the result of technological innovations.

Those consuming sports content are no longer passive viewers behind television screens anymore, they are interacting with their favourite sport through various methods permissible by the recent spike of technological innovation such as smart-phone Application, social media. They now can elect what to watch, when to watch it and so on.

We have witnessed the introduction of Sports Apps and Athletes Management Systems that have become in integral part of any sport programme that its aim is to reach the podium. Athletes, together with their coaches now heavily relaying on these technological methods to advance their chances to reach the podium.

The AUSC Region 5 Podium Performance Programme (PPP) has its DNA embedded on technology. The Pretoria University, High Performance Centre (HPC) is where AUSC Region 5 hosts the quarterly champs for elite athletes of the region.  This is where they get to improve their personal-best performances using technology as the enhancer and not illegal substance. The entire world has moved towards this direction and this is the reason the Region had to ensure that athletes are also afforded the equal opportunity.

The consumption of the sport content has also vastly changed. The Sport Apps, downloadable using smartphones has brought convenience on how fans can follow their teams, anytime and anywhere. It was for this reason the Region invested in the Games App that was introduced in the Botswana Youth Games in 2018. The data collected via the Games App can be used by the athletes themselves to monitor their own performance and it can also be used by the coaches to observe progress of their athletes during training season and off-season.

The Games App also provides an opportunity for potential commercial partners to benefit from the platform by advertising and creating sales opportunities to grow their business.

Technology in sport will continue to revolutionise the industry. For athletes and coaches to continue to reach their objectives of winning medals at various stages they need to fully embrace this new phenomenon and ensure they take advantage of it. For any organisation to continue to expand, it needs to fully embrace technology or it will die.