Fans at the Olympics are testing a new AI-powered talent scouting system designed to find the gold medalists of the future. The developers hope to bring advanced sports science to remote areas around the world using a wearable version of the technology.

When the alarm sounds, Tacto runs like crazy to swipe at the infrared sensors in front of him, some of which suddenly light up blue.

Not far away, his younger brother Tomo sprints down a short track, his movements tracked by a series of cameras.

The seven and four-year-old siblings from Yokohama, Japan, are taking part in a series of AI-powered tests specially set up near the Olympic Stadium in Paris.

The aim of the system is to identify the potential gold medal winners of the future.

Data is collected from five tests that include activities such as running, jumping and measuring grip strength.

This information is then analyzed to assess a person’s power, speed, endurance, reaction time, strength and agility.

The results are compared with data from professional athletes and Olympic athletes.

“We use computer vision and historical data so that the average person can compare themselves to elite athletes and see which sport they are best suited for physically,” said Sarah Vickers, head of Intel’s Olympic and Paralympic program.

After completing the tests, each participant is told which sport they are best suited for from a list of 10 sports.

According to Intel, all data collected from participants will be deleted after the process is completed.

Aside from the technology, it is something the young brothers enjoy.

“I had fun,” says Tacto. “I liked the part where we had to sprint the most.”

The AI ​​system available to fans at Paris 2024 has a much smaller, more portable counterpart that can run on most devices that have a simple camera and a bit of processing power.

“With just a mobile phone, a tablet or a PC, you have the ability to go to places that were previously inaccessible to you,” says Sarah.

This AI technology can assess people’s performance by analyzing camera videos alone, without the need for physical sensors.

The International Olympic Committee recently brought the system to Senegal, where it visited five different villages and assessed the sporting potential of more than 1,000 children.

In collaboration with the National Olympic Committee of Senegal and after a series of more demanding tests, 48 ​​children with “great potential” and one with “exceptional potential” were identified.

If they wish, they will be offered places in sports programs to see how far they can develop their athletic skills.

It is hoped that the system can be further expanded and used to provide opportunities to people in areas that could not be reached with more comprehensive assessment systems.

Prof John Brewer, a visiting lecturer at the University of Suffolk who has worked with the English Football Association on talent identification, says that identifying potential at a young age is the “holy grail” of the sport.

However, he warns that a basic system that can only measure a few characteristics would reach its limits in technical sports such as football or basketball, or in sports that require endurance.

“If you want to win the marathon or the 10K, you have to have that aerobic capacity, that oxygen carrying capacity, that you don’t see on film,” he says.

Prof. Brewer certainly recognizes the advantages of the system in the initial assessment of potential athletes.

“If they show dexterity and agility that suggests they have talent for a particular sport, then that needs to be encouraged,” he says. “And if the device is portable and can be taken to areas where you don’t necessarily have access to high-tech assessment methods, then that can only be a good thing.”

“But it would be only one part of a much larger system for identifying talent.”

Back at the Olympic Stadium, young Tacto receives his results: he has been identified as a potential sprinter.

He is enthusiastic, but says that his favorite sports at the moment are football and tennis.

Two more experienced athletes are Hank and Brock, who both competed at the intercollegiate level for their universities in the USA. This level can offer world-class facilities and has produced many Olympians.

“We are former athletes, we are competitive and thought it would be fun,” says Hank.

“This kind of technology didn’t exist when we were swimming 10 to 15 years ago,” adds Brock.

And what were their results?

“Rugby,” says Hank.

“I have basketball and I have literally never played basketball in my life,” Brock replies.

“Well, he played with me once and we never left him again,” Hank replies.

It seems that even with AI technology, computers cannot always do everything right.