🚀 Challenge The Future of Play 2026
🚀 Challenge The Future of Play 2026
Calling startups! Transform the future of play for youth engagement! 🚀 Showcase your innovation and compete on the global stage. Apply now!
Welcome to the Sport Innovation Challenge The Future Play
Is your startup BOLD enough to push past the boundaries of the status quo and drive innovation to create a brighter future?
ThinkSport, founded in 2015 by the International Olympic Committee and the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland
and Anthropy, a venture and research network investing in human potential research and technology are jointly calling on startups worldwide between PoC and MVP to join this startup competition for a chance to inspire and disrupt the sport industry!
The finals will be at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne Switzerland on 5 May 2026. Win exclusive visibility with the IOC and Sports Federations, prizes including a cash of up to 10 000 CHF and strategic partnerships.
NEW: 5 of the 20 semi-finalists will have the opportunity to be selected for a 7-week acceleration program "Tech4Sport" at the heart of the Olympic Capital.
The Future of Play Challenge brings together global innovators from gaming, AI, health, data, and emerging technology with leaders across youth sports, media, and healthcare. Our shared goal: to rethink how play and sport work for kids today, and how they should work tomorrow.
This is an open innovation challenge. We are not looking for one answer or one type of solution. We are inviting bold ideas that shape the future of youth play in meaningful, scalable, and responsible ways.
This is an open innovation challenge. We are not looking for one answer or one type of solution. We are inviting bold ideas that shape the future of youth play in meaningful, scalable, and responsible ways.
Your startup is developing disruptive technologies that can impact the sport industry worldwide and inspire the IOC and International Federations, then ThinkSport and Anthropy want to hear from you!
Why This Matters
Youth Sports at a Critical Crossroads
Youth sports sit at the intersection of physical health, mental well-being, education, community, and family life, yet the systems that support them have changed very little in decades.
At the same time:
- Costs are rising
- Participation patterns are shifting
- Data and research are uneven or incomplete
- Technology is advancing faster than youth sports can adapt
- The Future of Play Challenge exists to close that gap
Market Opportunity
Youth sports represent a large and evolving global market:
- $38–56B global youth sports market (2024–2025 estimates)
- Tens of millions of children participate in organized sports annually in the U.S. alone
- Roughly 65% of kids ages 6–17 engage in at least one sport
- U.S. families commonly spend $1,000+ per child per year, with costs increasing sharply as kids specialize
Despite this scale, innovation remains fragmented, especially in areas like engagement design, data-driven decision-making, inclusion, and long-term athlete health.
Category Examples for Inspiration
This challenge is intentionally broad. We welcome solutions that influence how kids experience play, sport, and physical activity.
To help spark ideas, many submissions naturally align with themes like the examples below, but these are illustrative, not restrictive.
Here are relevant examples of categories to give you ideas for inspiration.
Any sport applicable impactful innovation is encouraged to apply!
Category Examples for Inspiration
Engagement
Applications and Technology That Will Increase Engagement in Youth Sports
How might we make play and youth sports more engaging, motivating, and fun for kids?
Youth sports often compete with highly immersive digital experiences while relying on outdated formats. New approaches could reimagine how kids discover, participate in, and stay excited about play.
Youth sports often compete with highly immersive digital experiences while relying on outdated formats. New approaches could reimagine how kids discover, participate in, and stay excited about play.
Example areas include:
- Gamification and incentive models
- Augmented or mixed reality experiences
- Social and community-driven platforms
- New formats for competition, practice, or free play
Accessibility & Inclusion
Applications in AI, Data Science & Computer Vision That Make Youth Sports More Accessible for Kids and Parents
How might we make youth sports easier to access and more equitable for families and communities?
Barriers to entry, cost, location, visibility, data gaps, limit participation, particularly for under-represented groups. Innovation can unlock new ways to broaden access and improve decision-making.
Example areas include:
- Data platforms and insight tools for families and administrators
- Discovery, mapping, or navigation tools for programs and resources
- Solutions focused on girls, underserved populations, or non-traditional pathways
- Low-cost or community-first participation models
Selected participants may gain access to real-world datasets from ecosystem partners to support development and testing.
Health & Safety
Applications and Research That Make Youth Sports Safer So Kids Can Play More Often and Later in Life
How might we help kids play longer, safer, and healthier?
Early specialization, overuse injuries, and limited pediatric research can create long-term risks. New tools can support healthier development while keeping kids active and engaged.
Early specialization, overuse injuries, and limited pediatric research can create long-term risks. New tools can support healthier development while keeping kids active and engaged.
Example areas include:
- Injury detection, monitoring, and prevention
- Cognitive and physical performance insights
- Return-to-play guidance and recovery tools
- Female athlete health and personalized safety solutions
Prizes
- 1st
- 2nd
- 3rd
1st
The Grand Winner will win:
- 10 000 CHF (Cash or In-kind)!
- A speaking opportunity at a panel at THE SPOT
- Develop long-term strategic partnerships with the sport ecosystem
- A priority access to Tech4Sport Accelerator in Switzerland
2nd
The 2nd place startup will win:
- 6 000 CHF (Cash or In-kind)
- Develop long-term strategic partnerships with the sport ecosystem
- A priority access to Tech4Sport Accelerator in Switzerland
3rd
The 3rd place startup will win:
- 4 000 CHF (Cash or In-kind)
- Develop long-term strategic partnerships with the sport ecosystem
- A priority access to Tech4Sport Accelerator in Switzerland
Final Event
The Final will be held on-site on 5 May at THE SPOT in Lausanne (CH). The top 5 finalists will have an unique opportunity to pitch in front of the key decision makers of the sport industry, as well as a selected jury.
The results will then be announced at the end of the Final event!