Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni: The Future of Sport Is Inseparable from Data, Artificial Intelligence and Technological Innovation

Speaking at the opening of the 3rd edition of the Sportech Summit, an event bringing together startup founders, experts, investors and decision-makers from the sports industry, Ms. El Fallah Seghrouchni underlined that the solutions developed by Sportech startups play a decisive role by transforming athletes’ preparation and performance through data analysis and AI, optimizing the management of sports infrastructure, strengthening injury prevention, and reinventing the fan experience, which has now become digital, personalized and immersive.

According to the minister, sport is no longer viewed as a simple practice or form of entertainment, but rather as a fully-fledged industry that generates growth, employment and innovation. She specified that in 2024, the global sports industry generated more than 520 billion dollars in revenue, with an average annual growth rate estimated at 8 percent, higher than that of many traditional sectors.

She noted that sport remains less digitalized than other cultural and creative industries, thus revealing considerable development potential. She pointed out that the accelerated adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence could enable the global sports sector to generate up to 130 billion dollars in additional revenue per year, representing a potential increase of 25 percent.

She also observed that the Sportech Summit has now established itself as a strategic platform for reflection, dialogue and convergence between sport, technology and entrepreneurship.

For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Accelab, the initiator of the event, Othmane Ibn Ghazala, stated in a declaration to MAP that following the success of the first two editions of the Sportech Summit, which highlighted the Sportech ecosystem in Morocco, made up of sports industry startups and success stories, notably the startup Wanaut, which managed ticketing for the Africa Cup of Nations and was supported by Accelab during the first edition, a third edition naturally imposed itself to continue this momentum.

The Sportech Summit marks the launch of a startup support program in the sports field aimed at helping them grow and raise funds, which represent the most important element for their success, he explained, noting that “the first two editions allowed us to federate this ecosystem, both innovation and investment, and attract it towards the sports industry.”

“Our work on this ecosystem began before the announcement of Morocco’s hosting of the 2030 World Cup. We consider this major sporting event as an opportunity and a springboard well beyond 2030,” he said, noting that “sport is an opportunity for development and international outreach for Morocco, and innovation is an essential component through these startups that place themselves at the heart of sports innovation and entrepreneurship.”

The program of this 3rd edition notably includes a panel of experts around the theme “From stadiums to pixels: how mega-events inspire African sportech?”, the presentation of startups selected to join the “Stadium by MDJS” acceleration program, which will showcase their solutions before a qualified audience estimated at between 250 and 300 participants, as well as the awarding of the e-sport trophy to the winners of the online e-football tournament and speed networking sessions between representatives of Accelab’s partner investment funds and startups.

The day concluded with a networking session designed as a privileged space to foster exchanges, strengthen collaborations and generate new synergies.

Editorial team/le7tv