Patna: Bihar’s next generation of sports talent could be identified with the help of artificial intelligence, under a new collaboration between the Bihar State Sports Authority (BSSA) and IIT Madras.
The two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday to use AI, sports science, Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics to assess athletes’ abilities and performance.
The partnership will also explore camera-based technology that can analyse an athlete’s movements without requiring sensors to be attached to the body.
MASHAL Data To Help Find Talent
A major part of the initiative will use data collected from schoolchildren under the MASHAL programme, which works to identify sporting talent at the school level.
The programme has collected information on seven physical and performance parameters, including children’s height, weight, running, jumping and throwing abilities.
IIT Madras experts will analyse the data using AI and advanced statistical techniques.
The analysis is expected to help develop fitness and growth standards, an athletic ability index and district-level sports talent data.
The approach could help identify promising athletes in rural and remote areas, where sporting potential may otherwise be harder to assess systematically.
Cameras To Analyse Weightlifting Technique
The agreement also provides for development of an AI-based, sensor-free movement analysis system at a weightlifting training centre.
Instead of attaching sensors to athletes, cameras will be used to analyse weightlifting technique, balance and movement.
The technology could give coaches a more objective way to identify technical strengths and areas that require improvement.
IIT Madras’ Centre of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA) works on sports technology involving AI, data science, IoT and biomechanics.
Model May Expand To Other Sports
According to BSSA, the initial model is being developed around weightlifting but could later be adapted for other sports.
The authority has said anonymised data will be used, with responsible and secure AI principles to guide data management.
The data, dashboards and AI models developed through the initiative will remain the property of BSSA, according to the details shared about the agreement.
From MASHAL To Medals
BSSA Director General-cum-CEO Ravindran Shankar said a large volume of data has already been collected from children through the MASHAL programme.
He said the partnership with IIT Madras would help turn that data into useful insights for talent identification and sports training.
The broader objective is to identify sporting potential in Bihar’s villages and connect talented children with higher-level training and opportunities.
IIT Madras experts said the combination of MASHAL’s large dataset and the institute’s expertise in AI and sports science could help develop a model that may eventually be applied more widely.
The initiative is expected to bring data-driven assessment and technology-based analysis into Bihar’s efforts to identify and develop young sporting talent.
