Tech Chairs - The Sports Technology Podcast

No sport, competitively or recreationally, has changed more in the past 30 years than cycling. At the heart of this has been an Olympic champion, technical wizard, entrepreneur and campaigner. Chris Boardman is Rebecca and John’s guest on this episode of Tech Chairs and shares how much drive, imagination and ignorance (!) is vital to when looking to create a winning team. Once you’ve heard this episode, you’ll never look at cycling – or your bike - in the same way again. If you love winning stories, you’ll enjoy hearing Ben Ainslie talk sports technology in episode 8. Ensure you hear the next series and subscribe to Tech Chairs series and in the meantime, stay in touch with all sports technology news with the Access Innovation newsletter.

Ben Ainslie, is more than Britain’s greatest ever competitive sailor. His trophy cabinet might be huge but his thirst for technology-driven success is boundless. Ben talks Rebecca and John through his career through the lens of technology, from his early days on the Solent to fighting for The Americas Cup. Some tech happens by design, some is by accident – Ben shares which shaped one of sailing’s greatest breakthroughs. Tune in to find out. To find out more about sports tech and tech-led innovations, listen to another great athlete tell his story – Chris Boardman is our guest on episode 9. For all sports tech news and insights, don’t forget to subscribe to the Tech Chairs series and sign up for Access Innovation, our fortnightly newsletter.

Widely regarded as the most tech-forward of all popular sports, F1 has technology running through its DNA. This time, John and Rebecca are joined by Simon Taylor, a man who for 50 years has scrutinized every car, driver, race and designer in motorsport. Simon reveals the most pivotal points in how F1 has become the sport we know today – and what we might be seeing tomorrow. If you’ve ever wondered how much work the driver is really doing, this edition of Tech Chairs is for you. If you love F1 you will be fascinated by our episode about sailing. Ben Ainslie talks us through the F1 of the seas here. For all sports tech news and insights, don’t forget to subscribe to the Tech Chairs series and sign up for Access Innovation, our fortnightly newsletter.

Today there are countless ways and formats for watching sport – but how did this happen? Rebecca and John talk to two of the men directly responsible. Paul Davies is a leading figure from TV and determines Wimbledon’s annual broadcast, while Dave Roberts founded football’s very first club TV channel- but can you guess which one? The team talk everything about sports tech in sports broadcast, from how audiences watch sport in different countries, the advent of colour TV and …VAR! If you have discovered your inner sports tech geek, there’s lots more to listen to. Why not hear listen to Paul Hawkins reveal all about Hawkeye. For all sports tech news and insights, don’t forget to subscribe to the Tech Chairs series and sign up for Access Innovation, our fortnightly newsletter.

Say ‘sports technology’ to most people and they think ‘wearables’ but how did we get to this point – and what is that market worth? John and Rebecca talking through this multi-billion-dollar market with two experts with vastly different backgrounds. Phelen Hill is an Olympic rower turned market analyst with Nielsen Sports, and Sandra Halliday is a leading fashion industry commentator and UK Editor in Chief of The Fashion Network. Stop your fitness tracker, slip off your trainers, pop in your ear buds and listen to this edition of Tech Chairs. If you watch a lot of sports, why not hear from the men who determine how you see it? All is revealed in When Did One Screen Stop Being Enough? For all sports tech news and insights, don’t forget to subscribe to the Tech Chairs series and sign up for Access Innovation, our fortnightly newsletter.

This episode of Tech Chairs takes us into the DNA of elite athletes – literally! Rebecca and John hear Andy Steele’s story. Andy was an Olympic athlete who wanted to know why he could run fast but kept getting injured. A random test took his career – and how elite stars train – in a whole new direction courtesy of DNA-fit. So, is being a world-beater all in the genes? This week’s Tech Chairs reveals all. Sports technology is the single biggest force shaping sport and if you want to know how we got to this point, listen to How Tech Snuck Up on Sport. Alternatively, share in another Olympian’s sports tech story and listen to Ben Ainslie’s episode. You can subscribe to Tech Chairs or sign up for Access Innovation, our fortnightly newsletter.

Anyone who is a self-proclaimed ‘sports nut’ probably thinks they know how sports works. Think again. Tech Chairs is the podcast that lifts the lid on how elite sport is getting faster, stronger and better. From F1 to football, sailing to sprinting, tennis to test cricket; whatever your favourite sport, you can be sure that tech is shaping its future. Presented by veteran sports broadcaster, John Inverdale, and sports entrepreneur, Rebecca Hopkins, the conversation gets unashamedly geeky but if you love sports, you’ll love the learning. Listen to Tech Chairs and you’ll hear something that is sure to surprise you.

For many, Hawk-Eye IS sports technology and this edition of Tech Chairs, John and Rebecca are joined by ‘The Godfather of Sports Technology’, Paul Hawkins. Paul shares his story, from how he developed and marketed Hawk-Eye, to how it has become the phenomenon that is now an integral part of how we watch sports today. Paul also nominates his sports tech GOAT (greatest of all time) – but which will he choose? We guarantee his choice will surprise you. Listen now and find out. To hear more about the ever-changing world of sports technology, listen to another sporting great when Chris Boardman tells us about his sports tech journey. For all sports tech news and insights, don’t forget to subscribe to the Tech Chairs series and sign up for Access Innovation, our fortnightly newsletter.

This is part two of our brief history of the relationship between sport and technology. In this show we look at the tech-led revolution of the past two decades, as data, new realities and wearable tech shapes how we train, view and engage with the sports we love. Rebecca and John talk to experts Andy Harland, Naomi Stenhouse, Andy Miah and Ben Langdown, who guide us through these recent changes. And if you thought Mohammed Ali, Michael Jordan or Lionel Messi was sports’ GOAT (greatest of all time) you’ll want to hear why we might disagree. To find out more about sports tech and tech-led innovations, listen to Part One of How Tech Snuck Up on Sport or if you are fascinated at the impact Hawkeye has had on sports, the next episode is for you. Don’t forget to subscribe to Tech Chairs or sign up for Access Innovation, our fortnightly newsletter.

Tech Chairs is a new podcast exploring the many ways technology drives sport. In the first episode, sports presenter, John Inverdale and sports tech entrepreneur, Rebecca Hopkins take a sprint through sports tech’s history. Joining them are experts, Andy Harland, Naomi Stenhouse and Andy Miah, who explain how we arrived at many of the innovations we have today. From the evolution of trainers to why Lycra is the greatest sports tech invention of all time – sit down, tune in, find out. To find out more about the ever-changing world of sports technology, listen to Part Two of How Tech Snuck Up on Sport subscribe to Tech Chairs or sign up for Access Innovation, our fortnightly newsletter.

Technology is changing each aspect of every sport we all love … and Tech Chairs explains how. Tech Chairs is a new sports podcast which is presented by broadcaster, John Inverdale and sports tech entrepreneur, Rebecca Hopkins. Each week, John and Rebecca are given insider insights by tech experts, sports entrepreneurs, elite coaches, industry leaders and champion athletes. If you’ve ever wanted to know why the handlebars of bikes got so small? How Hawk-Eye was invented? Which football team had the first club TV channel? Or why Ali, Jordan, Messi or Ronaldo might not be sports biggest influencers… tune into Tech Chairs. From the evolution of trainers to how DNA impacts your injuries, Tech Chairs is a must listen for sports fans, sports executives and the ‘sports tech curious’. Website