The Olympic and Paralympic Games of Los Angeles 2028 may still seem far away, but the path to success has already begun. Elite sport is all about looking ahead, daring to invest, and making the right decisions in time. The goal is clear: to once again ensure that Brabant, just like in Paris, has a strong and visible contribution to the medal table.
In this ambition, BrabantSport and AI specialist Pipple have found each other. Two organizations with a shared belief: talent development requires more than just training and performance. Or, as Pipple puts it: “Our goal is to select the best solution with mathematical precision.”
From a digital jungle to smart solutions
Mathematical models, data dashboards, and generative AI: for those less familiar with them, it can quickly feel like a digital jungle. Yet according to Jeroen de Haas, founder and CEO of Pipple, the foundation is surprisingly simple.
“Compare it to a delivery driver choosing the smartest and shortest route to deliver all packages in the least amount of time,” explains Jeroen. “For one driver, that can still be done manually, but once you’re dealing with thousands of routes, you need models. That’s exactly where we add value.”
An organization’s data is an asset that is still too often underutilized.
Measuring is knowing
According to Jeroen, the classic Dutch principle ‘measuring is knowing’ (in Dutch: ‘meten is weten’) also applies in sports. “An organization’s data is an asset that is still too often underutilized. That certainly applies to sports as well. At its core, Pipple is a company that always strives for optimization: we help make the best possible decisions based on data and models.”
Within the collaboration with BrabantSport, the focus is on analyzing technical performance using AI-driven data models. Movements are captured in detail, analyzed, and translated into objective insights. Not only about how a performance looks technically, but also how it is likely to be judged at the highest international level.
This creates targeted, valuable feedback that helps athletes and coaches improve more effectively and reduce the margin between participation and winning. What makes this step particularly special is the innovative use of AI in a discipline where data-driven analysis is not yet standard practice.
Innovation from Brabant, for elite sports
Marcel Balkestein, Manager of Partnerships at BrabantSport, is proud of the new collaboration:
“We are located in the smartest and most innovative region of the Netherlands. A region that has grown through collaboration and short communication lines. This partnership between the TeamNL center of BrabantSport and Pipple is another great example. BrabantSport has been investing in innovation for years, and through that connection we found each other with one shared goal: to make talents even better in the smartest and most effective way. In that ambition, we are a perfect match.”
I don’t think AI and elite sports will be able to exist without each other in the future.
AI and elite sports: inseparably connected
Sport is at a turning point: AI-driven insights can become a decisive accelerator in performance development.
“I don’t think AI and elite sports will be able to exist without each other in the future,” says Jeroen. “You already see it in chess, where training without AI is unthinkable. In football as well, where we collaborate with PSV Eindhoven as official AI partner, AI is playing an increasingly important role. With 22 players, a ball as an unpredictable factor, and countless variables, it’s extremely complex.”
He adds: “AI helps coaches reduce their blind spots. You can’t observe everything, but with data and models you instantly gain insight into what’s happening: workload, intensity, tactical execution. Once you unlock that world, you never want to go back.”
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