The Future of Sport in Focus: EMCA Innovation Conference Successfully Held in Sant Cugat

Written by admin on March 22, 2026. Posted in Articles_news.

The “EMCA Innovation Conference” concluded with great success as part of the 2nd day of the European Multi-Sport Club Association (EMCA) General Assembly. The event was hosted at the High Performance Sports Centre (CAR) in Sant Cugat, Barcelona, bringing together leading representatives from the sports industry, technology, and innovation sectors across Europe.

The conference opened with a welcome from local authorities and Manel Gonzalez (SantCugatCreix). In her opening remarks, EMCA President Cristina Tsilikiri emphasized the vital importance of collaboration between sports organizations and technological evolution. The opening session also featured Cesar Thovar (Catalan Government) and Albert Salarich (Sant Cugat Municipality).

Internationalization and Innovation by Global Players

The first session, moderated by Pere Vilá (General Manager of INDESCAT), analyzed the prospects of sports internationalization with the participation of entities such as the Barcelona Sports Hub and ISL Agency.

Following this, the spotlight turned to innovation cases from three major global players:

FC Barcelona: Jordi Mompart (Director of Barça Vision) detailed the club’s strategy regarding Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technologies.
Fluidra: Oriol Serra presented smart and energy-efficient solutions for sports and wellness facilities.
Veolia: Maria Millet focused on ecological transformation and sustainability within sports infrastructure.

Introducing the EMCA Innovation Hub (E4IH)

A pivotal moment of the day was the official presentation of the EMCA Innovation Hub (E4IH) by President Cristina Tsilikiri. The E4IH is the Association’s new flagship initiative aimed at bridging the gap between sports clubs and innovative solutions, driving the digital transformation of EMCA members throughout Europe.

1st EMCA E4IH Demo Day

The conference concluded with the presentation of groundbreaking startups and digital projects:

Vrain Medical: Presentation of “AthleteVR,” utilizing AI and VR to accelerate “Return to Play” for elite athletes managing musculoskeletal injuries.
Bayer Leverkusen: Malte Kalsbach presented the “DigiRoots AI” project, designed to help grassroots sports clubs adopt digital technologies to boost efficiency and sustainability.
Ona Labs: Xavier Muñoz analyzed advanced digital health platforms for non-invasive monitoring of sweat biomarkers to optimize athlete health and performance.

The day concluded with a networking lunch, where EMCA members and participating companies discussed future synergies and the continued integration of technology in the sporting world.