The Covid hiatus led to promises of major reforms in the sports industry, but has anything really changed?

Five (and a bit) years on from the coronavirus pandemic, SportsPro's Cian Brittle, Elena Kouyoufa, Michael Long and Sam Carp reflect on how the sports industry has (and hasn’t) transformed since.

From the rising tide of private equity and the emergence of newfangled fan engagement tools like NFTs to bubble tournaments and fake crowd noise, the team discuss what ideas have tested positive and what would be better left in lockdown.

With the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season in full swing, Subhayu Roy, director of CricViz in India, joins the podcast to lift the lid on how the Ellipse Data-owned cricket data and analytics provider is powering teams to success, delivering insights across everything from fan engagement to performance analysis.

Talking points:

• Why the IPL is a commercial juggernaut
• The work CricViz does with the IPL and the difference it makes
• Trends and shifts in how IPL teams are leveraging data
• Effectively gathering and presenting data

Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry is the first woman and first African to be elected as president of the International Olympic Committee in its 130-year history. At 41, the former swimmer turned politician is also set to become the youngest person ever to hold perhaps the most influential position in global sport.
In this episode, SportsPro’s Michael Long, Sam Carp and Ed Dixon reflect on the vote that saw Coventry, a former Olympic gold medallist in the pool, make history by defeating her rivals in a landslide. The trio also discuss the state of the IOC she inherits in the wake of Thomas Bach’s departure and what the future holds for the ever-evolving Olympic movement.
Key talking points:
• How the presidential vote went down
• What skills and experience Coventry brings to the presidency
• Bach’s tenure and the commercial health of the Olympic brand
• Where Coventry stands on the big issues, such as athlete compensation and gender eligibility
• What comes next for the IOC and wider Olympic movement