India has launched its first comprehensive artificial intelligence-driven athlete management platform, marking a significant step in the country’s effort to modernise sports science and reduce injury-related setbacks among elite performers. The system, named SPEEED AI, is designed to continuously monitor athletes and flag early warning signs of injury well before they escalate into serious problems.

Operationalised by the National Centre for Sports Science and Research under the Sports Authority of India, the platform is currently tracking more than 6,000 athletes training across 14 National Centres of Excellence. Officials say the technology can capture everything from workload patterns and joint stress to daily habits such as hydration, offering an unprecedented level of insight into athlete health and performance.

The rollout comes at a time when India is pushing for marginal performance gains in elite sport, where injuries often derail training cycles and medal prospects. By digitising athlete data at scale, the government hopes to move from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.

AI-Driven Injury Prediction Takes Centre Stage

Developed by NASSCOM deeptech startup Darwin in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, SPEEED AI analyses a wide range of biomechanical and physiological indicators. These include wrist strength, shoulder stability, joint angles, gait patterns and cumulative training load, all of which are known predictors of overuse and acute injuries.

According to NCSSR Director Brigadier (Dr) Bibhu Kalyan Nayak, the real strength of the system lies in its ability to spot trends across large athlete groups. If a particular centre shows a spike in similar injuries, such as wrist issues among archers, the data can help identify whether training methods or conditioning programmes need correction. This allows coaches and medical staff to intervene early rather than respond after injuries occur.

The platform’s central interface, known as the Drona dashboard, also records minor physical complaints such as inflammation or stiffness. These “niggles”, often ignored in traditional setups, are treated as valuable signals that can indicate an impending breakdown if left unaddressed.

Digital Oversight, Anti-Doping And Age Verification

Beyond injury prevention, SPEEED AI is designed as a broader athlete governance tool. One of its key features is assistance with anti-doping compliance. Athletes can check prescribed medicines against banned substance lists, reducing the risk of inadvertent violations. Officials stress that the AI assistant draws only from verified Sports Authority of India datasets, rather than open internet sources, to minimise errors and misinformation.

The platform also aims to address the long-standing issue of age fraud in Indian sport. Using AI-enabled imaging and analysis, it can automate the Tanner-Whitehouse 3 method for assessing skeletal maturity. Continuous tracking of growth patterns allows authorities to flag abnormalities and move towards a Verified Biological Age system, which could bring greater transparency to age-group competitions and talent identification.

Sports technology experts involved in the project say such measures could improve trust in domestic competitions and strengthen India’s talent pipeline over the long term.

Built For Indian Athletes And Indian Conditions

While inspired by international athlete management systems such as Australia’s Smartabase, officials say SPEEED AI has been customised for Indian training environments and regulatory needs. Sensitive health and performance data are stored on domestic servers, addressing concerns around data sovereignty and privacy.

Access to information is tightly controlled through role-based permissions. Complete athlete profiles are available only to senior officials within the Sports Authority of India and the Sports Ministry, while coaches and support staff see data relevant to their roles. This, authorities say, balances transparency with confidentiality.

Looking ahead, the Sports Ministry plans to extend the platform to junior athletes, embedding scientific monitoring from an early age. For policymakers, the ambition is clear: to “catch them young” and build a system where technology supports athletes throughout their careers, reducing injuries, improving performance and ultimately enhancing India’s competitiveness on the global sporting stage.

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