New Delhi, 10th February, 2025: In line with its vision to make India a global hub for sports tech, the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) has launched the ‘Sports Data Gameathon’, a sports AI challenge, powered by Dream11. This competition is a step towards exploring new ways to integrate data and use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to sports.
Students teams from premier institutes will take part in the Gameathon, where they will compete in daily fantasy sports format during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Participants will have to leverage data analytics skills and build AI & ML models to develop a winning strategy while adhering to transfer constraints and other rules of the Gameathon.
More than 30 premier institutes showed interest in the Gameathon, and after reviewing their strategy papers, 52 teams from institutes like IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIIT Dharwad have been shortlisted. The top three teams will share a total prize pool of INR 25,00,000 (INR 25 lakh) each receiving INR 12.5 Lakhs, INR 7.5 Lakhs, and INR 5 Lakhs, respectively.
Joy Bhattacharjya, Director General, FIFS said, “We are excited to launch the first edition of the Sports Data Gameathon. The response has been overwhelming, and we’re thrilled to have young minds compete in this Gameathon. This will not only encourage greater integration of technology with sports, but will also provide a platform for the youth to hone their skills, engage with the sports community, and contribute to improving the fan experience in innovative ways. We envision this Gameathon becoming a global competition, expanding across multiple sports disciplines in the years to come.”
The Gameathon will challenge participants to leverage their data analytics skills to model and forecast outcomes for an entire sports tournament, testing both their analytical thinking and ability to apply cutting-edge decision-making technology to sports. These models hold tremendous potential for real-life sports as well, offering valuable insights for talent identification and game strategy.
The competition will assess participants on several parameters, including but not limited to:
- Problem identification and constraints
- Data collection and analysis
- Model selection and optimization
- Team strategy and collaboration
- Post-game analysis and technical capabilities
To support the students throughout the gameathon, FIFS has on-boarded two experts – Joy Bhattacharya, Renowned Cricket Analyst and Prof. Vishal Misra, Vice Dean of AI at Columbia University, US, who will offer their expert guidance to the student teams.
The ‘Sports Data Gameathon’ aims to become a catalyst for innovation, propelling India towards becoming a global leader in sports technology. By nurturing young talent in the fast-evolving field of sports analytics, the Gameathon will foster a dynamic ecosystem where cutting-edge technology and digital content converge to redefine fan engagement. With fans at the heart of the experience, this initiative drives advancements in sports tech, bridging entertainment, data-driven insights, and innovation to shape the future of India’s sports industry on a global stage.
