Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The Ministry of Sports has introduced the Sportifai digital platform, which will provide the foundation for a fully integrated and interconnected system for enhancing sports governance and identifying, supporting and developing athletes across the country and accelerating efforts to realise the goals of National Sports Strategy 2031 (NSS).
Sportifai was launched at a workshop for leaders of national sports federations, titled “Driving Digital Transformation in the UAE Sports Sector”, which was aimed at equipping different federation leaders and technical staff with the knowledge to effectively use the platform to benefit athletes and align with national goals.
Sportifai aims to bring about a qualitative leap in the development of the national sports sector by establishing a specialised entity, chaired by Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports. This entity will lead the digital transformation journey by adopting artificial intelligence applications to support athletes, sports federations and clubs.
The recently concluded University Games was a great starting point and with the platform Sportifai, a comprehensive digital ecosystem is in the works to enhance operational efficiency and foster innovation.
By harnessing AI and data analytics, the platform enables early identification and development of athletes. Dr. Al Falasi emphasised that Sportifai represents a major leap. “Sportifai simplifies access to services for sports federations in line with the Zero Government Bureaucracy programme, further supporting performance improvement and smart governance.”
He stressed that Sportifai enables seamless integration across national sports organisations, providing real-time access to accurate data that supports evidence-based decision-making. He highlighted the platform’s role as a foundational element of the broader digital transformation of the UAE’s sports sector, in alignment with the NSS 2031.
Unveiling the brand identity at the workshop, Sheikh Suhail bin Butti Al Maktoum, Assistant Undersecretary for Sports Development and Competitiveness, said: “The launch of Sportifai marks the beginning of a comprehensive development journey for our national sports community built on the latest technologies using the most advanced available digital tools for performance analysis, readiness assessment, and support for decision-making within sports federations.
“It stands as one of the most important mechanisms to empower federations by alleviating administrative burdens... allowing officials to focus on technical and competitive aspects, contribute to improved athletic performance of teams and players.”
The workshop was divided into two sessions. The first session, dedicated to the presidents of sports federations, featured a detailed presentation by the ministry on the Sportifai platform. The session outlined the platform’s objectives and its role in providing sports entities with effective and comprehensive capabilities, while positioning the platform as a centre of excellence in driving innovation across disciplines.
The second session, attended by technical and administrative staff from the federations, focused on priority projects from the ministry’s digital transformation strategy; foremost among them, the “Talent Identification Platform”.
This platform is designed to track athletes’ development from early stages through to professional and Olympic levels using a unified digital record. This approach enhances the creation of a reliable national database and supports talent development through strengthened partnerships between government institutions and federations. The technical staff attendees heard that it was important to collaborate and ensure long-term success.
Ghanim Al Hajeri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports, said: “Sportifai is designed as a technological partner for use across all federations and sports clubs, through developing an integrated digital infrastructure including advanced systems for athlete data management, modern talent identification solutions, and performance analysis tools.”
Al Hajeri added that the next phase will empower sports professionals with digital analytics capabilities while supporting entrepreneurship and innovation through the development of startups in sports technology. Federations have been urged to leverage the ecosystem.
The platform was introduced in March and partnerships are in place with institutions such as the National Olympic Committee, the UAE Committee for Elite Sports, and the UAE Committee for Talent and National Sports Support. The private sector institutions can also contribute through their innovative digital solutions and role in sports data analytics.
