This section of SportTechie, “Sports Tech Wire”, contains original press releases issued by various companies and industry organizations. The releases are reviewed by the SportTechie editorial staff to ensure relevancy to the sports technology industry. For information and access, send your name and email address to info@SportTechie.com
January 6, 2016 – The International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) has partnered with sport technology specialists, Sport:80, to launch a cutting-edge technology platform which both parties believe will revolutionise the way the International Federation (IF) operates.
Now live, the cloud-based management platform has consolidated and automated many of the IF’s core functions (including memberships, events, logistics and finances) in to a centralised online platform. The adoption of the technology will provide IWAS with a foundation upon which it can manage all of its operations globally.
Chief Executive of IWAS, Charmaine Hooper, believes the platform will play an important role in modernising internal processes and supporting the IF’s strategic plan:
“We are delighted to announce the launch of this project. It will make a huge difference to the way we work and allow us to dedicate much more time and resource to projects which drive the development of our sports. It will also greatly improve the number, and quality, of services we are able to provide to our member nations, coaches, athletes and volunteers.”
The project is the result of the IF’s partnership with Sport:80 – a conglomerate of sports industry professionals and software developers that specialise in sport management technology. IWAS have adopted Sport:80’s flagship Sport Management Platform, which is currently making an impression in the industry.
CEO of Sport:80, Gary Hargraves, believes the success of the technology is a result of the company’s background in the sports industry:
“When we came up with the idea for the Platform, we were in a similar position to the sports organisations that are now engaging with us. Our background is in delivering sporting events and logistics projects, and like many in the industry we felt we were constantly swamped down by time consuming and repetitive admin tasks. We were amazed by how little the market offered in terms of sport-specific technology that would allow us to overcome these challenges, so we developed a solution ourselves.”
The Sport:80 Team went on to develop a prototype technology platform which was used during the largest test event for the London 2012 Games, the ISSF Shooting World Cup. The application of the technology was a great success and spurred the company on to develop an all-encompassing sport management platform. The established product is now being utilised by IWAS and a number of other sports organisations across the globe.
Gary continues, “We’ve put a lot of hard work in to turning our vision for the Platform in to a reality. It’s great to see the technology now making a real difference to sports organisations like IWAS and we are looking forward to working with Charmaine and the team for many years to come.”
IWAS has plans to roll the technology out to member nations as part of its strategy to deliver high quality services. By doing so, IWAS will be able to network its global operations and provide much more control to member nations. The strategy will mark a huge step for IWAS as the IF will have access to much more valuable and insightful data with regards to the global footprint and impact of their work.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
IWAS
- International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) is a vibrant and constantly growing federation providing sporting opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities worldwide. IWAS provides athletes with a vital international pathway from grass root sport to elite Paralympic level.
- A long standing contributor to the Paralympic movement, IWAS has been in existence since 1952 and following its creator and leader, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, IWAS established the pre-cursor to what is now known as the Paralympic Games.
- IWAS, throughout its history has never lost sight of the basic premise for its existence so firmly encapsulated in its vision “Inspire Worldwide Achievements in Sport” and values “Sportsmanship, Unity, Friendship & Respect”.
Sport:80
- Sport:80 was incorporated in 2012 and is now one of the UK’s leading sports management technology specialists.
- The company’s vision is to ‘build and continually develop a cloud-based sports management platform for the operational and financial benefit of sports organisations across the globe.’
- Sport:80’s innovative cloud-based sport management platform provides sports organisations with a means of seamlessly integrating all of their key functions in to a centralised system.
- The Sport:80 Platform has been proven to streamline workloads, improve efficiencies and provide opportunities for revenue generation.
- Sport:80’s existing client base includes the British Fencing, Archery GB, Squash South Africa, BISFed, IPC Shooting and INAS.
- Peter Underhill, Competition Manager for London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games commenting on use of the Sport:80 Platform:
“The unqualified success of the Shooting Pre–Olympic Test event in London was in large part due to the excellent administrative service provided by Sport:80. Their platform was an invaluable asset, providing the cornerstone upon which the whole administrative and support infrastructure was built. I would have no hesitation in advocating its use by any organiser wishing to deliver a major event.”
For more information, or to arrange an interview please contact Jack Waddingham (jack.waddingham@sport80.com) or Elin George (office@iwasf.com) via email.