66  Ethics and Wearable Technologies in Sport

As the use of wearable technologies, especially within sport, continues to expand, navigating ethical issues associated with these technologies is becoming increasingly important.

For example, privacy is a major concern; these devices can gather extensive personal and sensitive data from athletes. It’s vital to have strong safeguards in place to protect this information, and to consider issues such as who owns and controls the data. This kind of clarity is essential to build trust among athletes, teams, analyists and the tech companies themselves.

It’s important that athletes and users know exactly what they’re signing up for with wearable tech. For example, they should be fully informed about what data is being collected, its uses, and any associated risks.

This type of individual consent is crucial, as is the reliability of the data the devices collect. Faulty data could lead to poor decisions affecting an athlete’s health and career, so scrutinising the validity and reliability of wearable devices is really important.

As noted in the previous section, we need guidelines for the ethical handling of data collected by wearable tech. These should cover how data is used and shared. Conducting regular checks and offering education about these guidelines to everyone involved can help maintain high ethical standards in our work. Openness and transparency about data practices encourages a culture of trust and accountability.

In the context of sport data analytics, the ethics of sports betting and gambling also need careful consideration. Protecting the integrity of sports, encouraging safe gambling habits, and ensuring the fairness of betting algorithms are crucial. Measures to prevent exploitation, especially of vulnerable groups, are equally important. This includes making sure people are gambling responsibly.

Proactively tackling ethical issues, through collaboration and ongoing education, helps mitigate risks before they escalate. Cultivating an environment that prioritises continuous ethical improvement and has solid plans for crisis management is essential.

By addressing these challenges collectively, we can as analysts and researchers help to manage the growth of technology in a way that’s fair and beneficial for everyone involved.