Step towards athlete safety and fair competition: RSU researchers contribute to creation of largest microclimate data network at Olympic Games

Researchers from Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) have participated in a large-scale international project, within the framework of which the most extensive microclimate data network in the history of sports competitions has been created during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The project was implemented in collaboration with the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), University of Rome Foro Italico, and collaborating centres of the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS).

With the support of the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee, an international team of scientists, including representatives from RSU, installed a network of high-precision meteorological stations that record and reliably transmit microclimate data in real time during the competition. The result is one of the most comprehensive sets of environmental data ever obtained in the context of the Olympic Games. This project demonstrates that the Olympic Games can become a “living laboratory” where the mountain environment is mapped, analysed and modelled with scientific precision.

In top-level sport, even minor changes in the environment can affect safety, performance and equality of competition conditions. The project is based on an integrated approach that combines three elements – the environment, the athlete, and the equipment – into a single system. The environmental pillar created as part of Milano Cortina 2026 serves as the basis for data integration with biomechanical, physiological, and cognitive performance indicators using artificial intelligence. This approach marks a paradigm shift in sports medicine – from reactive situation assessment to predictive, data-driven intelligence.

Head of the Sports Laboratory Clinic and RSU Institute of Public Health researcher Sandra Rozenštoka provides a significant contribution to the project. Under her leadership, data on athletes’ health and functional abilities are analysed both before competitions and during them, integrating real-time environmental information into practical recommendations for coaches and athletes.

I work with athletes on a day-to-day basis – from comprehensive health checks to treatment of injuries and overexertion. Real-time research with high-precision sensors is critical, as athletes can never replicate the intensity of competition in a clinical setting. At the Olympic Games, athletes compete with maximum motivation and exertion, and these are precisely the moments to understand how the environment affects their health and performance.

Dr. med. Sandra Rozenštoka

The monitoring infrastructure created during Milano Cortina 2026 project will serve as the basis for a “living laboratory” over the course of the next four years, enabling the development of environmental intelligence solutions and forecasting systems. This methodology is transferrable to other disciplines as well, both winter and summer sports, and will become important in the preparation for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games and other international sporting events.

Professor Yannis Pitsiladis emphasises: ‘Our mission is to create intelligent ecosystems, where artificial intelligence integrates environmental data, athletes’ performance, and equipment parameters. To protect the health of athletes and ensure fair sports, decisions must be based on real-time scientific data. Milano Cortina Olympic Games confirm that this is possible.’

The Milano Cortina 2026 project proves that research and innovation can be at the heart of Olympic competition. Involvement of RSU researchers in this initiative strengthens the international visibility of the Latvian science and provides a practical contribution to the development of safer, fairer and data-driven high-performance sports. RSU’s involvement in the project is also linked to the European Union-supported research initiative grant ‘The Impact of Sports and Para Sports on Neck Functional Capacity, Stereotype of Movements and Health Risk’, implemented at RSU as part of the RSU and RSU LASE consolidation project.