On November 10, 2025, the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation unveiled an innovative collaboration with International Business Machines Corp (IBM) to enhance sports performance. This partnership has culminated in the creation of the IA-THLETICS platform, a centralized data infrastructure developed in conjunction with IBM and its technology partner, Habber Tec. The platform is designed to optimize the training and performance of professional athletes across various disciplines.

2. Centralized Data Management with watsonx.data

The IA-THLETICS platform leverages IBM's watsonx.data technology, which enables the consolidation and management of vast amounts of data generated by athletes. This includes information from training sensors, medical tests, biomechanical assessments, physiological metrics, and health data. The aim is to create a secure and accessible environment that allows coaches and technical teams to make informed decisions.

Raúl Chapado, president of the Royal Spanish Athletics Association, emphasized the transformative impact of this project, stating, “This project marks a turning point in the way we understand training and performance management. Thanks to IBM technology and the development of Habber Tec, we have been able to analyze athletes' data in much greater depth, which will allow us to make more informed decisions and personalize each athlete's training like never before.”

3. Enhancing Coaching Techniques

The implementation of this technology will significantly enhance coaching methodologies. The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation plans to apply the IA-THLETICS platform in various projects aimed at analyzing athletes' strides, jumps, and running techniques. By utilizing motion sensors and high-speed cameras, coaches will be able to identify key technical aspects that require improvement.

By the year 2028, it is anticipated that approximately 1,000 coaches will be employing this cutting-edge technology to train professional athletes in Spain. This widespread adoption underscores the Federation's commitment to integrating advanced technological solutions into sports training.

4. Data-Driven Insights for Athletes

One of the standout features of the IA-THLETICS platform is its ability to provide real-time, personalized analysis and data-driven recommendations to coaches and technical teams. This capability reinforces the role of technology as a vital ally in sports preparation and strategic decision-making.

In a recent race walking project, approximately 7.5 million data points were collected over two months from a select group of athletes. The Federation anticipates that as more disciplines are incorporated, including discus throw, hurdles, and sprints, the potential for developing new use cases for artificial intelligence and big data will expand significantly.

Jacobo Garnacho, Business Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data for Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Israel, remarked, “The challenge isn't having more data but understanding it. The Federation can reliably interpret data and use it to improve athlete performance. It is not about replacing the coach's intuition or the athlete's feedback, but rather about giving them the knowledge and evidence-based information they can rely on.”

5. Robust Data Infrastructure

Ricardo Arguello, director of Habber Tec Spain, emphasized the comprehensive data layer that the IA-THLETICS platform offers. This infrastructure is capable of storing, processing, and delivering data from multiple sources, thereby enabling coaches to access detailed information for effective talent and competition management at the federation level. Arguello stated, “This platform allows the Royal Spanish Sports Federation to establish the basis for consistent scaling in cases of artificial intelligence and massive data analysis.”

6. Conclusion

The collaboration between IBM and the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation marks a significant leap forward in the application of artificial intelligence in sports. By harnessing the power of data, the Federation is poised to revolutionize the training methodologies employed by its coaches and athletes, ultimately aiming for enhanced performance in high-level competitions, including the upcoming Olympic Games. As the integration of such advanced technology continues, the landscape of sports training is set to undergo a profound transformation, paving the way for a new era of data-driven athletics.

Original press release