Australian Sports Commission Launches ‘The Park’ Innovation Hub

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has launched its virtual innovation hub, ‘The Park’, naming five Australian sports technology companies that will receive grants and participate in the inaugural project at the AIS campus in Canberra next week.

This initiative is designed to drive innovation within the sector, align technology development with priority sporting challenges, and ultimately support Australia’s performance strategy on the road to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The five selected companies:

• 3D body scanning company Bodd
• Concussion management system HITIQ
• Facility booking tool Pitch Up
• Club Governance and Child Safety Organisation Safeguarding You
• Athletic performance monitoring company Sports Velocity Systems 

These companies will spend a day collaborating with major sporting organisations like Swimming Australia and the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS).

The goal of this immersion is to understand critical technology challenges across the sector, with representatives from the Australian Army also in attendance to explore cross-sector applications.

The initial six-month program will see the ASC and the grant recipients focus on high-priority areas for the future commercial and competitive viability of Australian sport.

These areas include harnessing data, AI and machine learning, next-generation wearables, digital twin technologies, brain performance, and environmental sustainability.

By concentrating co-creation efforts in these specific domains, the ASC is strategically investing in solutions that offer the highest potential competitive advantage by 2032.

The commercial model of The Park is based on co-creation, where the ASC and the technology companies will jointly evaluate products and services through close collaboration with athletes, coaches, performance support staff, and administrators.

This process mitigates product risk for the tech firms while ensuring the resulting solutions meet the genuine, practical needs of the sporting ecosystem, thereby guaranteeing a faster rate of adoption and market readiness.

The Australian Sports Commission is committed to funding and facilitate its innovation hub to elevate the profile and honour of Australian sports technology on the global stage.

Don’t miss out on the latest in sports business – Subscribe today to the free Ministry of Sport newsletter and stay ahead of the game. For even more exclusive insights, event tickets, professional development and networking events, become a MoS Member today!.