- ARAB NEWS
- 01 May 2025
Since 1975
KUWAIT CITY: The future of sports and technology came into focus at the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Seminar on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology and E-Sports, held at the OCA headquarters on Feb. 22.
Bringing together international experts, the seminar explored how AI is revolutionizing athlete training and performance, while e-sports leaders reflected on its integration into the Asian Games and its expanding role in global sports.
OCA Director of Media and Broadcast, Jeans Zhou Jian, expressed gratitude to the delegates from National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and national e-sports federations for their participation in this groundbreaking initiative.
“We have covered many aspects of AI in sports and examined the rapid rise of e-sports in recent years,” Zhou Jian said. “We hope this seminar has provided valuable insights that you can take back to your NOCs and federations.”
The event began with Dr. Thani Abdulrahman Al Kuwari, OCA Vice President for West Asia, delivering opening remarks.
This was followed by a presentation from Ray Walia, CEO of OpenSport, and Guy Millar, Chief Technology Officer, on “Using AI to Enhance Athlete Performance.”
A highlight of the day was a session on AI’s impact on the sports industry, featuring Leo Tang Xiaowei, Technology Cooperation Marketing Director at Ant Group.
He shared success stories from the Hangzhou Asian Games, including a Guinness World Record for 106 million participants in a carbon-neutral initiative. Don Chen, CEO of Digital E-Sports Asia, wrapped up the session with an industry outlook.
The seminar continued with a deep dive into AI-driven sports advancements, featuring presentations from Jason Qiao Shuai, Business Solution General Manager of Baichuan AI, and a case study on AI’s use in swimming by Dr. Prashant Jamwal Kumar and IOC Young Leader Yenlik Ultarakova from Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan.
Dr. Xiaotian Yan, Director of China’s National Virtual Reality Innovation Center (Qingdao), and Alexander Schmidt, lecturer at the Vienna University of Technology, explored innovations in VR and AR applications in sports.
Dr. Vamsi Kiran Adhikarla, Senior Researcher at the International Teqball Federation, discussed the synergy of AI and Big Data in athlete training, highlighting its role in performance optimization.
The final session focused on the evolution of e-sports, with Aaron Liu, Technical Delegate for the Jakarta Asian Games E-Sports demonstration event, emphasizing its growing global presence. He noted that e-sports now boasts 3.42 billion players worldwide, with the Asian Games providing a platform for players to represent their NOCs and forge new career paths.
Kat Gong, Head of Strategic Relationships at Tencent E-Sports, outlined how the tech giant integrated e-sports into the Hangzhou Asian Games, where Tencent owned four of the seven contested titles.
To conclude the seminar, Wissam Trkmani, OCA’s Director of Development and NOC Relations, presented certificates of participation to the speakers, recognizing their contributions to advancing AI and e-sports in the sporting world.
