Scottish Event Campus (SEC)
Elite sport has always been driven by performance, preparation and competition. Increasingly, however, another factor is shaping decision-making at every level of sport: data.
From tracking athlete performance and reducing injury risk to enhancing fan experiences and informing strategic decisions, sports analytics has become a fundamental part of the modern sporting landscape. Professional clubs, governing bodies and event organisers are using data in ways that would have been unimaginable just a generation ago.
Data analytics has become essential in modern sport, supporting everything from athlete performance and enhancing fan engagement to improving operational efficiency and sustainability outcomes. What we’re seeing is a steady shift from intuition-led decision-making to data driven practice across all levels of elite sport. Dr Xanne Janssen
The growing importance of analytics is particularly relevant as Glasgow prepares to host the Commonwealth Games once again. Major sporting events generate vast amounts of information, from athlete performance data and scheduling logistics to audience engagement and venue operations. The ability to collect, interpret and act upon that information is becoming an increasingly valuable skill across the sports sector.
Analytics now influences almost every stage of the sporting process. Coaches use performance metrics to refine training programmes. Sports scientists analyse movement patterns to better understand recovery and injury prevention. Event organisers examine attendance, transport and operational data to improve the experience for athletes and spectators alike.
Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
For cities with strong sporting traditions, these developments create opportunities beyond the competition itself. Glasgow has built an international reputation as a host city for major sporting events and continues to attract competitions that place it at the centre of global sporting conversations. Alongside the economic and cultural impact of these events, there is growing demand for professionals who can work with complex data and translate insights into practical decisions.
Data has become part of an athlete’s performance toolkit, just like training and nutrition but data is used for much more than performance enhancement in isolation. It plays a critical role in decision-making at a strategic and organisational level. For example, in events like the Commonwealth Games, where multiple nations, sports, and stakeholders intersect, data supports more coherent and transparent decision-making processes.
Data analytics is also playing an increasingly important role in understanding the broader impact of sport, particularly in relation to sustainability and social value. Major sporting events and federations are increasingly aligning their activity to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Commonwealth Games, for example, uses data to track and measure its impact on inclusion, the economy, environmental sustainability, and community legacy. Dr Xanne Janssen
The rise of sports analytics reflects broader changes across industries, where organisations increasingly rely on evidence-based approaches to inform strategy and performance. Sport is no exception. Whether analysing athlete performance, evaluating competition outcomes or understanding audience behaviour, data is becoming an essential part of how the sector operates.
As major events continue to evolve and technologies become more sophisticated, the relationship between sport and data is likely to deepen further. For Glasgow, a city with a long-standing commitment to sport and event hosting, that evolution presents an opportunity to contribute to discussions about the future of performance, participation and innovation in sport.