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Good Morning, and welcome back to The Sports Road! Hopefully your week has been good, if not, hopefully we can change that a bit. Today is – how do we put this – an *interesting* one… Ever think you’d hear of a UEFA x European Space Agency partnership? Nor did we. Enjoy!
Let's get into it!
Alright, look. We’ve covered some pretty wacky partnerships over the last couple months.
I’d argue none quite like this, though. Yep, get ready – this is out of this world.
Cringey. We get it. Sorry.
This week UEFA – European Football’s governing body – announced a partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA).
Before you get any ideas – No, the Champions League final will NOT be played on Mars.
What the joining of the two will see though is some serious innovations within the sport-tech world.
In accordance with the ESA’s ‘cross-industrial’ initiative, this partnership is the first of its kind. Being the case, innovation will be initially focused on three distinct areas.
"We are proud to support UEFA as it introduces space-based innovation to professional football competitions. ESA has a strong track record of fostering innovation and competitiveness in Europe, and this new partnership will enable professional football clubs to tap into ESA’s extensive network of expertise."
Javier Benedicto, Acting Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications for the ESA
With the deal running until late 2025, the partnership could bring some of the most exciting innovations ever made in the sports-tech world.
We sure hope so!
THE WAIT IS OVER!
Ladies and gentlemen, The World’s Baddest Man is back in business…
Yep, this one is VERY big.
Signing with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou, has returned to the fight game.
Leaving the UFC on *not great* terms, Ngannou has always maintained that it was not simply about the money.
Well, it looks like he wasn’t just saying that. Here are four game changing conditions that have been announced:
And the PFL aren’t just stopping there. On a mission to become the world’s biggest MMA organisation, the promotion has recently joined with SportsIcon to create their very own Metaverse experience.
Created to give fans from all over the world a chance to interact and immerse themselves within the sport, the unique experience is one of the best out there.
Want to be a part of MMA’s fastest growing organisation? Click here
Well, once again we are talking about a *surprising* partnership…
It’s no secret that some of the world’s biggest companies are using sport to further interact and engage with their audiences. I mean, in the last couple of weeks we’ve spoken about Apple, Netflix, and Amazon to name a few.
So with that… Welcome to the sports-tech world, Google!
Ever gone into a stadium and just failed to find where you're supposed to go? That’s all about to change…
Joining forces with AR sports platform, Quintar, Google are looking to further develop their own AR building technology – ARCore.
Combining the technology with Quintar’s Q. Reality, the two have created a product which allows for live augmented way-finding that should work to enhance sport fans’ experience at live events.
“Together we have created a core technology that brings the same capability as Google Geospatial and Google Maps down to a smaller scale with higher accuracy and much more flexibility and adaptability in real time… Google really likes what we’ve been doing in sports with the PGA TOUR and AT&T, and we decided to combine forces to make an even better, more holistic experience for fans at live events. Sports is just a starting point. The applications for this combined technology are unlimited.”
Sankar Jayaram, CEO of Quintar
Having already trialled the technology at Golf courses around America, the technology saw some very good results.
Using Google’s Geospatial capabilities and Quintar’s live customisable data, a unique, interactive and helpful experience was made possible.
Alright, alright. Before finishing up today, we thought why not talk about another surprising combo making the rounds.
There are a couple of BIG changes coming to the F1 in the next couple of years…
From 2026’s regulation change, to the sports’ journey to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, a whole host of the games aspects will take a turn.
Whether it be for better or worse is yet to be seen, but it is definitely getting the attention of some of the tech industries biggest names.
You know where this is going…
Having been at the last few US-based Grand Prix’s, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos were seen rubbing shoulders with mechanics and team leaders alike.
In fact, according to Christian Horner, Musk is seriously considering bringing Tesla into the races.
“It was great to see him coming to a Formula One race, and embracing the combustion engine again! I think he was very impressed with the technology, obviously an incredibly bright guy, wanted to know all about the battery and so on, and the power and the output of the car. Then he threw down the gauntlet of wanting to race us with one of his electrical vehicles…
Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal
With changes in regulation meaning that batteries will become more relevant than ever in the sport, could we see Musk and Tesla in the game soon?
— Rory Talks Football (@Rory_Talks_Ball)
May 13, 2023
😂 😂
"You need to play with supreme confidence, or else you'll lose again, and then losing becomes a habit."
Joe Paterno
VIBES ARE HIGH FOR @Malhadinho_UFC AFTER THAT WIN 🕺💯 #UFCCharlotte
— UFC (@ufc)
May 13, 2023
A BIG Win
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Chat to ya on Wednesday! ☮️