The sports technology sector is like the space race of decades past. What is created to enhance human performance in the sporting arena will have a huge impact on other areas of society.

Great strides are taking place around the world, including here in Ireland.

Each week we will bring you a round-up of the latest stories that are making a stir.

Today we look at a new partnership for Munster Rugby, another for Man City, a Cycling World Championship 100 years in the future and a new sporting twist to the life cycle of a selfie…

 

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ZWIFT TO HOST E VERSION OF CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

 

Zwift, the indoor fitness platform, is to host the 2022 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships on 26 February 2022.

It will move from Zwift’s Watopia where it was staged in 2021 to a New York Map. Centred around Central park, Zwift’s New York Map will transport riders and viewers 100 years into the future with elevated glass roads that take riders high into the iconic Manhattan skyline.

Both Men’s and Women’s Elite fields will tackle two full circuits of the 22.5km route before finishing at the top of the New York KOM, a 1.4km climb with an average gradient of 6.1% and ramps of up to 17%. In total, riders will cover 54.9km and 944m of climbing. Field size, broadcast exposure, race distance and prize money will be equal for both Men’s and Women’s races.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to build on the success of last year’s milestone event with the second UCI Cycling Esports World Championships,” says David Lappartient, UCI President. “The Olympic Virtual Series held earlier this year showed how cycling esports has the ability to drive global participation in cycling. It is therefore exciting to reveal a new opportunity for emerging cycling esports stars enabling them to compete with household names from the UCI WorldTour peloton.”

 

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CAPTURING YOUR SELFIE ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL

 

We’ve all looked up at the Fanwall big screen at Croke Park or the Aviva Stadium and maybe, every now and again, even appeared on it in a selfie with enthusiastic friends or mortified children.

It’s a part of the stadium experience drawn from the ubiquitous camera we have in our pocket if not our hands.

In the US now, a new app entitled 15 Seconds of fame is taking that to a whole new level.

The premise is simple. You upload a selfie on your way to a match and if your face is picked up on TV coverage from the stadium, or on the big screen, you will get a notification and a short, sharable clip of yourself as seen by others.

The app is free for stadia, teams and fans and the revenue model is one of sponsorship.

It’s like the stadium snapshot that Huggity developed here but with this, it is scouring media all the time to share that one glimpse which proves you were there, and hopefully having a good time.

It’s not here yet but it will be coming soon…

 

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MAN CITY KICKS OFF WITH QUALTRICS

 

Manchester City has signed a new deal with Qualtrics to become the Club’s Official Experience Management Software Partner.

Qualtrics empowers organizations to listen to customer and employee feedback, understand and analyze what they hear, then take action to improve experiences and design new ones — all in real-time. That’s a pretty compelling if complex proposition for a stadium of 60,000 people.

The new partnership will assist in enhancing the overall matchday experience as well as improving delivery of catering, facilities, retail and more.

The new partnership is also expected to include further activations across wider areas of the club and the way it engages with fans.

 

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CURRYS PC WORLD SIGNS TECH DEAL WITH MUNSTER RUGBY

 

Munster rugby has signed a two-year partnership with Currys PC World which will see the club provided with a range of technology to assist and analyse players’ performance.

High-end laptops and tablets for in-game and training ground analysis will be among the resources to be made available all the way to the Academy, and that could stretch towards fitness wearables and a growing range of different equipment developed for elite sport but now also available to everyone.

Read more about the new partnership

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Have you got a story about Irish Sports Technology? Let us know at rob@sportforbusiness.com and be part of the story on Sport for Business

 

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