SportsTrade

Sports and business collaborate on SportsTrade, as we explore how tech is changing the face of some of the world’s oldest pastimes. Athletic icons, sports brand giants, tech companies and more discuss the curveballs tech will throw at us over the next few years.

Pia Sundhage
Head Coach, Brazil Women's National Team

What’s happening?

The sports industry has been transformed by the rise of esports, athlete’s personal brands, biometrics and more. SportsTrade brings the world’s leading sports stars, experts, brands, media and retailers together under one roof to discuss the sports world’s next play.

Your Web Summit Rio ticket gives you access to all masterclasses and roundtables at the event, as well as to talks on SportsTrade and 13 other tracks.
Tech powering elite sport

Athletes and sports organisations are forever searching for the apex of human performance. We’ll unveil and investigate the newest  tech driving athletic endeavour to its peak, and we’ll look at the downsides of inundating sports with tech.

Three triangles pointing right.
The power of the brand

As athletes separate their personal brands from the sport they compete in, we look at how they’re using traditional and social media to earn as much off the field as they are on it. We hear from athletes turned trailblazers who are forging new and unique career paths.

Cash v conscience – sportswashing

In 2022, sports offered a global stage to authoritarian regimes as they attempted to cleanse their public image. Sportswashing dominated headlines to such a point that the on-field results became secondary. Leaders share the harsh realities of sportswashing and delve into whether public outrage and human rights will ever outweigh money.

A level playing field

Historically, men have dominated in the sports world. But that’s changing rapidly. From equal pay agreements to record audiences and new media deals, women’s sports are in the spotlight.. What is next for female athletes on the biggest sporting stages? 

Meet our 2023 sports speakers

Nicolle MerhyCEOBlack Dragons
Nicolle Merhy
Emma JonesBroadcasterBBC Sport
Emma Jones
Flávio CantoBrazilian Judoka & TV Presenter
Flávio Canto
Viktor HuszarCo-founderTeqball
Viktor Huszar
Alexandre DreyfusCEOSocios.com
Alexandre Dreyfus
Natalia GuitlerTeqball World Champion
Natalia Guitler
Luiz Gustavo Pacete de LimaEditor of Tech & InnovationForbes Brasil
Luiz Gustavo Pacete de Lima

Companies that attend

“We have to build a brand outside of just being a fighter.”

Paige VanZant, UFC, on Centre Stage during day three of Web Summit

– Paige VanZant, Fighter, UFC

“In elite sports other than football, people train more and prepare more, and I think football needs to take this step.”

– André Villas-Boas, Football Manager, Race for Good

“The main objective is to put a smile on other people's faces. That's my passion.”

– Samuel Eto’o, Footballer & Philanthropist, The Samuel Eto’o Foundation