This Monday marked the first day of the Sports Tomorrow Congress, an event focused on innovation and knowledge management that is being organised by the Barça Innovation Hub as part of the Mobile World Congress (MWC). Under the theme Hold the roots, mold the next, medical professionals, nutritionists, physiotherapists, data scientists, investors, and other experts gathered to discuss the latest developments in sports, research, and development.

Joan Laporta:  'Right time to imagine the future'

FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta was naturally present, delivering the closing session of the first day. On the occasion of the club’s 125th anniversary, Laporta emphasised Barça’s roots, stating that "the Barça identity is based on values, and the strength of our values allows us to remain true to who we are while embracing the opportunities of the modern era."

"Now is the right time to reimagine the future. The club must redefine itself to meet the expectations of global markets and fan communities while staying true to who we are."

Laporta also highlighted the importance of the BIHUB’s commitment to the startup world, calling it "a winning combination that keeps us at the forefront of innovation without losing our essence." He also mentioned Omniscope and Riterz, two emerging companies in which the BIHUB has recently invested.

Joining Laporta in the session were FC Barcelona’s vice-president of Institutional Affairs, Elena Fort; the director responsible for BIHUB, Àngel Riudalbas; directors Xavier Barbany and Miquel Camps; and the Minister of Sports of the Government of Catalonia, Berni Álvarez.

Cata Coll: 'Tech makes us better'

Earlier in the day, FC Barcelona women's team goalkeeper Cata Coll joined a panel chaired by journalist Ruth Gumbau, alongside Eva Ferrer, head of women's sports health at the Barça Innovation Hub.

Coll shared her experience with performance data collected through devices such as WIMU, cardiovascular monitoring bands, and biometric measurement rings. "Every morning, we can check an app to see how we slept and our level of fatigue" she explained. "Thanks to this data, we can slow down to avoid overexertion. Technology makes us better."

Dr. Ferrer stressed that the club has been collecting data on women's sports for years to enhance athlete performance. "This allows us to create protocols tailored to each player, and we keep improving," Coll added.

The conversation also touched on ACL injuries, which are unfortunately common in women’s sports and have been a key focus of the club’s research from genetic and hormonal perspectives. Dr. Ferrer noted that "players have fears about this, and it needs to be studied to minimise the risk," Coll admitted. "For the last four years, we have been collecting biological samples related to players’ menstrual cycles. It’s tedious, but it provides invaluable insights."

Other topics covered in the session included sports during pregnancy and mental health in female athletes.

“Chapi” Ferrer: “Football has developed towards entertainment” 

The former Barça player and Barça Legends coach Albert ‘Chapi’ Ferrar, took part in a session moderated by Héctor Carmona, technical coordinator of the Barça Academy in the USA, in which he spoke about the development of football over the last few decades and the new directions being taken by the industry: ““Football has developed towards entertainment,” began Ferrer.  

Referring to the increase in the use of technology in recent times in the world of football, ‘Chapi’ remarked, “the most important thing is to be able to filter data” given the amount available to be gathered currently in a game. Going into more detail he concluded the introduction of VAR “has aided but also abetted” because, amongst other reasons, it has led to, “unnatural behaviour such as defenders jumping for a ball with their hands behind them.”  

Asked about what football is missing, he replied “time outs from basketball,” given that, “allowing coaches to intervene in the middle of the game would make the game more dynamic and entertaining.” The Dream Team member also touched on the “distancing” of players from the fans, provoked by social media. To conclude, he called on coaches to “allow young players to be flexible and creative with their talent to decide matches.”  

During the day the start-up Omniscope, of which BIHUB is an investor, took centre stage in a talk on the immune system and generative AI. Similarly, another BIHUB investment, Made of Gens, followed up about how AI can prevent injury.  

Scientific sessions on various subjects 

During the scientific session in the morning, Laia Soler, director of FC Barcelona’s Centre of Sporting Excellence, outlined the main role of that area of the Club: Pere Gómez, responsible for sports technology at FC Barcelona, along with various other experts, looked at the importance of data in improving performances; Xavier Corbella, director of the FC Barcelona medical services, revealed how Barça work in the area of health and Mireia Porta, head of nutrition at FC Barcelona medical services, looked at healthy eating habit, nutrient absorption and performance.  

The head of sporting medicine at Barça Innovation Hub, Gil Rodas, spoke about precision medicine and the creation of digital twins for players to help gauge possible injuries; Martí Matabosch, director of the department of physical preparation at FC Barcelona, outlined the Club’s policy in that area; part of the sports psychology team, Andrea Pérez, Gerard Soriano and Albert de Bonis, explained Barça’s model of psychological intervention for athletes; and Gerard López and Gerard Trives, from the Sporting Methodology team, presented the bases for sporting development at the Club with special focus on youth development.  

During the rest of the first day of the Sports Tomorow Congress, other topics covered were television broadcasting and e-sports, with BIHUB also opening a stand at the 4YFN area, a shop window and meeting point, as part of the MWC and the ecosystem of emerging businesses.  

 

Força Barça