Digital Transformation of Sport and Tourism on the Agenda in the Volga Region
The V All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference with International Participation, “Smart Sport & Tourism: Digital Transformation in Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism,” was held at the Volga State University of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism. The event was co-organized by the Azerbaijan Sport Academy and the Belarusian State University of Physical Culture.
Opening the plenary session, Rector and Professor Rafis Burganov emphasized that digital technologies have become an integral part of professional activity in physical culture, sport and tourism. The effectiveness and competitiveness of these sectors increasingly depend on their level of digital maturity.
Digital transformation in sport now includes big data analysis, artificial intelligence in athlete training management, biomechanical modelling, genetic profiling, functional diagnostics and risk prediction for overtraining. Digital technologies are also creating new opportunities in adaptive physical education and rehabilitation.
Tourism is undergoing similar changes through digital platforms, intelligent booking systems, interactive navigation services, and virtual and augmented reality. These developments are creating new forms of interaction with consumers and increasing the demand for specialists who combine digital competencies with professional knowledge in recreation and hospitality.
The conference brought together researchers and experts from more than 15 Russian regions, as well as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. More than 150 scientific papers were submitted.
The conference’s guest from Turkmenistan was Allamyrat Gochov, Head of the Department of Physical Education, Theory and Methodology of Physical Sport at the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Education and Sport. He presented a report entitled “Physical Education of Preschool Children during the Renaissance of a New Era of a Powerful State” and expressed appreciation for the university’s hospitality and the opportunity to exchange professional experience.
The plenary session also addressed the role of AI agents in communication management, the transformation of sports marketing from traditional SEO toward GEO, changes in the sector’s human-resource potential under digitalization, the use of big data in football, and strategies for digital transformation in tourism and hospitality.
Following the plenary session, the conference continued with a round table and specialized section meetings.
Adelina KHRAMOVA,
Volga State University of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism.
