Sports expo spotlights high-tech ways to better train athletes ahead of 2020

With Japan riding high after its best showing ever in a Winter Olympics, a recent trade show drew attention to state-of-the-art technologies that could one day help train future Olympians. Sports Business Expo Tokyo attracted 630 companies and an estimated 30,000 visitors to Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba Prefecture last week to see the latest in sports technology. Many of the companies showed off products linked to the hottest trends, including artificial intelligence and virtual reality, while others tried to cash in on the momentum building toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Lightz Inc., an Ibaraki-based firm, pitched an AI system that simulates volleyball matches and maps the emotional state of athletes based on variables input by trainers and athletes. The simulation can be paused so that teams can analyze the state of each athlete at any point during the match.