We are currently witnessing an acceleration of technological advancement hitherto unseen in the history of humanity. The most rapid and profound changes to our way of life are unfolding in ways which, only a couple of decades ago, would have seemed utterly implausible.

The development of new technologies always takes time to impact societies. It is only in the last decade that we have really come to witness the impact of the internet on how societies come to organise themselves, how individuals have come to interact with one another, the newer more emancipatory changes to business practices and participatory nature of entertainment. These changes will continue to reshape our understanding of how certain forms of social activity can be enhanced by the introduction of newer forms of technology.

The internet changed everything. The way we conduct business, the way we interact socially, the way we shop and the way we spend our leisure time have all been radically altered by the digitalisation of society. Indeed, how we follow and take part in Sport has also been radically altered by the same process which has caused such a transformation across the rest of how we live our lives. The consumption practices have changed and the participatory practices have evolved along with them. Technology has acted to pull down the barrier between the athletes and the fans and bring them closer together. It has also engendered new possibilities for athletes to become noticed.

Although there a numerous ways in which technology and sport will interact to change the way people conduct and interact with sport, We are however on the cusp of a new and fundamentally revolutionary integration of new technologies which will alter — not just the way we consumed sport but also how sport has the chance to positively augment our existence. The convergence of blockchain with AI and wearable sports technology has the ability to enable the discovery of potential new sports stars in the most underdeveloped regions in the world.

This is down to a few crucial factors. But let us ask ourselves some important questions:

1. What are the issues which currently block the discovery of sports stars in the most underdeveloped regions of the world?

2. Why is it that some regions are able to produce sports stars whereas others are not?

These questions, although different, are linked. The first way to answer them is to consider the structural problems which exist at the heart of the international sport. It is more likely than not that the sports stars which have the highest chance of success are the ones which have the access to the best facilities. This — as a prerequisite — means that the highest chance for success a sports person has usually stemmed from the fact that they have had the best access to the best facilities, which generally translates to athletes from more economically developed countries.

There is also a large level of corruption in the academy system. To put it simply the players who need the attention the most are the ones who are left behind by the proliferation of kickbacks and embezzlement which is rife amongst most sporting bodies worldwide. This blocks the chances of many of the aspiring athletes across the developing world.

So how can technology help overcome these issues?

The convergence of three of the most cutting-edge technologies, blockchain, AI and wearables, have the possibility of raising innumerable numbers out of poverty and enable undiscovered talent, which has been so often overlooked by the occluding tendencies of the structures which have had control over the industries over the past decades, to become the best that they are able to become.

However, it must be noted at this juncture that this convergence of technologies will not just enable chances for the players themselves, there will also be a whole new dynamic which is opened up to the fans and those who invest in sports. The disintermediation of third parties which is enabled by blockchain will create a whole raft of new possibilities for fans to interact with and play an interactive role with the clubs and the sports stars they follow. Indeed, direct player funding is one such example and one which Bitcademy intends to expedite.

Bitcademy intends to combine these two elements and enable talent to be discovered in the most underdeveloped countries by funding bricks and motor football academies and also bridge the gap between fan and investor participation by allowing direct investment in individual players. Therefore, it will be possible to circumvent the structures which have occluded the discovery of talent and which have also hindered direct fan participation.

Bitcademy envisages a future where us as fans can directly enable the discovery of the next global star through direct investment. We will be able to track a players progress as they advance through the academy system. All the measurements will be taken with the wearables, written to the blockchain and then predictions of their success will be made with AI algorithms.

The future sports starts will be the first in history to be so closely scrutinised and we see that this had the potential to bring the best stars to the fore. We envisage a future which is so radically different to the reality we have today. Lives are about to be changed.

The question now is: Are you going to be part of it? Or, are you going to let others take the lead?