GB athletes need to harness AI for future success – UK Sport chief

According to UK Sport chairman Nick Webborn, the Olympic and Paralympic teams will need to use artificial intelligence and collaborate more closely to maintain their success at the recent Games.

The executive director of the elite sport funding agency stated to BBC Sport in his first interview since taking the position: “We’ve been a really successful nation, and we’re going to have to do things differently to maintain that position or even go higher.

It’s about how we think smarter now, how we play sports with AI effectively, and how we collaborate as different sports bodies rather than in silos.

“I believe that we are now in a mindset where we are all united and moving together, and that sports’ information sharing is much more prevalent than ever,” she said.

And we’ll need to do that to stay on the medal table.

British athletes will be able to access a new type of AI-based online abuse protection, according to UK Sport, and Webborn wants the technology to aid in talent identification, injury prevention, and remote classification assessments in paralympic sport.

The total medals won by Team GB at the last summer Olympics in Paris in 2012 were on par with those in London in 2012.

However, their medal total of 14 dropped them from fourth to seventh, which is their lowest position in 20 years.

We want to go above and beyond. We have done it all along, says Webborn.

And it’s those trivialities that make those silvers into gold that just lift you up a little bit higher on the medal table.

The Paralympic team has done a fantastic job, finishing second behind China for the past few games but being challenged by other countries. However, I think the British people’s character and innovation will keep them there forever.

There has never been a better partnership between Olympic and Paralympic sports. That is absolutely evident in the discussions they are having. We are developing our own skills.

Webborn is optimistic despite the fact that UK Sport has not yet released a medal target for the upcoming Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy.

As the most senior athlete in the British Olympic and Paralympics, Webborn also claims that he wants to place a new emphasis on “valuing the athletes who enter our high-performance sports system, and preparing them for their later life, so that the skills they learn from being a top athlete actually make them a better person, a happier member of society.”

Because you only compete for a certain number of years, you spend much more of your life, “I think that’s something we need to focus on.”

Following a string of athlete welfare controversy following Rio 2016, UK Sport’s “no-compromise” policy, which equates funding with medal potential, faced intense scrutiny. The body then declared it would win “the right way” and introduced a number of reforms to improve duty of care under the leadership of Webborn’s predecessor, Dame Katherine Grainger.

When questioned about whether winning medals or medals was more important to him, Webborn replied, “No, they both exist. To win and to win well is key. That is the guiding principle of UK Sport.

It’s critically important to me that we win, both in terms of clean sport, and also about the people and behaviors that exist throughout the entire high-performance system, including the coaches and the support staff.

“Sport has historically had issues with safety and behavior, and changing that ethos, which will make people feel valued and cared for throughout their entire sporting career, will improve them as athletes as well as as as people in the future,” he said.

What’s important to me to understand after I’ve got a job is understanding what happens to people after I’ve got a high-performance system because if I’m a parent thinking about enrolling my child in a high-performance system, I want to know not just “are they going to win a gold medal,” but also “what will their future look like after I’ve got a gold medal.” ‘.

The best advertisement for parents to enroll their children in the high-performance system is “if we can give them that confidence.”

According to Webborn, “I believe what we need to think about is] when will we bring the Olympics and Paralympics back to the UK.”

We’re probably going to be looking at 2040, but it’s always a goal in your head. That was brilliant in 2012, wasn’t it? I’d like that the British public also has those memories.

When asked if a bid was feasible and if it should be staged in London, Webborn responded, “I don’t think we can talk about aspiration right now. It might be hosted by Liverpool and Manchester, or it might have two cities. So, I believe we must be open and creative when conceiving ideas.

When Webborn, 25, sustained a severe spinal injury during a rugby match, saying it “completely transformed my outlook on life.” He then served as a research pioneer into the needs of paralymps after months of rehabilitation, serving as the association’s representative at 13 Paralympics.

He states, “I’ve seen this evolution, the impact lottery funding has made on high-performance sport in the UK, and how that’s changed people’s lives, changing sport, and the amazing success we’ve had as a country.”

We need to rediscover that pride in the country, which I believe has been somewhat lost, because the country is currently experiencing a difficult economic environment. At this moment, there is discussion and disagreement. Sport can bring people together to celebrate timeless, iconic television moments. In a few months, we’ll see in Milan-Cortina and in Los Angeles in 2028.