IoT and 5G: Swedish Olympic Academy Taps Telia to Digitalize Sports

Sensors that provide individual feedback in real time so that athletes can perfect their technique will soon become everyday practice. A new collaboration with the Swedish Olympic Academy and Telia aims to digitalize sports using IoT solutions and 5G technology.

New technological solutions create new possibilities for athletes to improve their personal sports technique, such as perfecting the rowing stroke or the take-off in a hurdles race.

A sensor in a shoe that provides real-time feedback to the athlete requires a fast network that transmits data flows with minimal response time. To achieve this, Telia and the Swedish Olympic Academy have partnered to develop sensor solutions with new IoT platforms and 5G technology.

Sensor technology has been previously tested with RISE, the Research Institutes of Sweden, and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Canoes were equipped with sensors that measure acceleration and slowing down and in sailing, sailors received real-time feedback to speed changes.

“Previously, we have used video analyses to find improvement potential, but to influence the muscle memory that way is easier said than done. With real-time feedback, individual technique corrections can be tested quickly, and the performance can be optimized,” says Stefan Lindeberg, head of the Swedish Olympic Academy.

The new digital tools can provide individualized, more productive and fun training for more youths too. The Swedish Olympic Academy and Telia aims to go from test environment to everyday training, creating more opportunities for sports and health for more people, which will hopefully lead to more Olympic medals.

“It's great that we have taken this to the finish line. Both for the development of sports but also for breaking new ground within IoT. The lessons we learn in these partnerships where we develop IoT services with 5G-ready technology will give us a platform that can be applied to other sports in the future, as well as to other solutions in society and the industry,” says Mats Lundbäck, CTO Telia.

The Swedish Olympic Academy is founded by the Swedish Olympic Committee, the Royal Institute of Technology, Karolinska Institute and the Stockholm School of Economics.

Telia and 5G in Sweden

Telia has launched a 5G partner program for Swedish companies that want to explore new technologies and test business models before a commercial launch in 2020. Some of the partners are Volvo Construction Equipment, Einride, Tieto, Mittuniversitetet, the Royal Institute of Technology, the Umeå 5G initiative and Luleå University of Technology on 5G.