Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Rules of Sports Performance

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly present in performance sports, from automated refereeing to predicting the results of major competitions. The topic was debated at the University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology "George Emil Palade', during a lecture given by Sorbonne University graduate Paul-Tiberiu Iordache, multiple European and world champion in karate. The event brought together students, professors and specialists in the medical and sports fields, interested in how advanced technologies are changing the training and evaluation of athletes.

• AI reduces subjectivity in sports refereeing

One of the examples presented concerned the use of artificial intelligence in Taekwondo. Researchers have developed systems based on computer vision and deep learning to evaluate blows in competitions. According to Paul-Tiberiu Iordache, the new system quickly analyzes athletes' actions and provides a score in less than five seconds, compared to about 90 seconds for traditional evaluation. Experts believe that these technologies can significantly reduce the subjectivity of refereeing and increase the transparency of competitions.

• AI models for predicting sports results

Another example was the use of artificial intelligence to estimate winners at major competitions. Researchers applied deep learning and explainable artificial intelligence models to analyze statistical data and performance history. Such models were also used for predictions related to the Olympic handball tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, taking into account factors such as international experience and individual performances of athletes.

• Research becomes part of sports training

Present at the event, Gabriela Szabo, Olympic champion and scientific researcher at the UMFST research center, emphasized that performance sports can no longer function exclusively based on the talent and intuition of coaches. She showed that artificial intelligence is becoming an essential tool for optimizing training, monitoring performance and developing sports strategies. In this context, Szabo also launched a public invitation addressed to Paul-Tiberiu Iordache to join the university's sports research projects.

The specialists present at the event highlighted that artificial intelligence will play an increasingly important role in sports, including: biomechanical analysis of movements; injury prevention; personalization of training; objective performance evaluation. The lecture thus provided a concrete image of how digital technologies are transforming sports, not only at the competition level, but also in education, research and training of new generations of athletes.