The International Centre for Olympic Studies (ICOS) Biennial Symposium is hosted by Western University each year the Olympic and Paralympic Games are held. This year, it was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the longest-running event for Olympic and Paralympic studies in history
Immense amounts of data and AI technologies permeate every field, including sports. (L to R) University of Bath student May Keeble, Western professor and director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies Angela Schneider and master's student Amber Nusser focused their latest research conference around how sport is adopting the technology. (Iulia Costache/Faculty of Health Sciences)
The symposium brings scholars across the globe together to discuss some of the biggest controversies of the event, and the policies guiding them. The theme for 2026 was clear, said Angela Schneider, director of ICOS in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Olympic silver medalist in rowing.
"Whichever topic is facing the biggest policy challenges is what we want to tackle and address. Whether it's the Ukrainian athlete's helmet, gender testing or doping issues. This year, it's AI."
While Olympians and Paralympians are banned from using "computer-aided" or "robotic" devices to boost their on-stage performance, AI has crept into other territories, from training grounds to judging. And in the world's biggest celebration of human strength and skill - deciding whether AI should have a seat is more dire than ever.
AI's Olympic debut
May Keeble, on a student placement at Western from the University of Bath in England, and Amber Nusser, a master's student in kinesiology, are research assistants at ICOS and members of the Symposium's planning committee. Both are studying how sport is adopting the tech.
For some athletes, reaching peak performance now starts with heaps of data, the researchers say. By measuring and tracking every movement in practice, AI is able to study these motions and show competitors where they're lacking. Because AI has the power to spot the smallest details in an athlete's biomechanics, it can begin to offer assistance in a way the human eye might miss.
In swimming, for instance, cameras are placed underwater, collecting information on a swimmer's stroke. AI is then able to pinpoint areas where technique could be enhanced. But it works alongside an athlete's own expertise, Keeble noted.
"Olympic athletes already have a very high understanding on how their body moves. AI is there to enhance and validate their knowledge base, rather than teach them an entirely new concept. If a swimmer feels an adjustment is needed, they now have the data to back them up."
Coaches are quickly realizing the benefits. By plugging in hours of game day footage, AI can predict an athlete's future behaviour - and this goes for the competition, too. It's particularly useful in sports like soccer, Schneider said.
"Coaches are using AI to help teach their players the technique of the opposing team, and the moves they'll likely be seeing in the upcoming game."
A more surprising use of AI amongst coaches includes large language models like ChatGPT.
"This is especially prevalent among young coaches or grassroots organizations. In coming up with new ideas, they're relying less on their own background in sport, and turning instead to AI to ask, How I can I best develop this athlete?' When extra guidance is just a prompt away, coaches are curious if ChatGPT might have the right answer to, How to win gold?'" Keeble said.
One of the most disputed uses of AI in the games comes after the performance, in scoring. "While we haven't completely eliminated the human eye," warned Schneider, "technology is now able to complete a very precise technical analysis." This is a great safeguard for corrupt scoring, which has occurred in previous Games, but it also majorly shifts the focus of the sport.
She uses the example of figure skating, where technology has been introduced.
"The beautiful thing about ice dancing is the emotional and artistic side which AI can't possibly capture. The technical judging reduces it to a set of numbers which doesn't capture the human expression."
The danger of AI in sport
While AI can help provide more and very precise information, each of these tech updates have fostered a looming danger of which Olympic and Paralympic Committees are keenly aware. In sport, athletes' physical and mental health are on the line - and that should never be taken lightly, Keeble said.
"The problem with AI is that it's very front facing. It doesn't consider the external factors which also affect performance, like what the athlete had for breakfast or how their hormonal cycle comes into play."
When an athlete ignores those variables in favour of AI's suggestions, that's when the chance of injury or mental distress rises. The psychological risk can also be huge, she added.
"Nobody should have direct access to that much information about their body. Having a coach who has the experience and emotional intelligence to consider the data and who you are as a competitor, is vital."
Predictive technology could also lead to injury, as it has the power to advise coaches on how to best exploit an opponent's weakness.
"In soccer, AI has the ability to show you when an opposing player might be susceptible to injury. Beyond the ethical dilemma, it can be a road to malicious tactics," warned Schneider.
Fairness is also in question, as certain groups have the privilege of accessing tools unavailable to others. In the Paralympics, questions around technology are magnified as prosthetic design and performance aids continue to advance. At this year's Symposium, Schneider and her research associate, Guanpeng Zhou, opened the question of whether the existing classification system can keep pace with such rapid innovation.
"The Paralympics face a unique challenge in balancing fairness amid technological transformation - it's extraordinarily difficult. If one athlete is using a technological aid unavailable to their competitor, we need to figure out a new way to maintain fairness," Schneider said.
A protected future starts at Western
But the path to a future where players are better protected is currently being paved. Research out of ICOS, spurred on by the 2026 and previous years' symposiums, are finding ways to mitigate these risks.
"First, we need to decide what we want to celebrate in sport. For ice dancing, is it the emotional or technical? And athletes should have a say in that," said Schneider. "Nothing about us, without us."
The next priority should be building policy to support those priorities, the researchers said. Working with policymakers and sport administrators to ensure the traditional Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship are being supported, rather than threatened, by AI, is of high priority for the ICOS team.
"AI is not good or bad - it's a neutral technology," said Nusser. "The result depends on how you use it, and what you use it for. We get to decide how our future looks like through the policies we build."
At a time when AI seems to surround us on all sides, the work of scholars at ICOS outlines the choices that remains in our hands. Research at Western is beckoning the change.
"That's the great thing about ICOS," adds Seairra Nemecek, PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and presenter at this year's Symposium. "You uncover these issues through research, and then have the pathway to implement change. It's bridging conversations between academics and decision makers - and that's an important bridge to have."
