Tech Fit? What is the role for technology in encouraging people to be more active?

The House of Lords Committee on Sport and Recreation will this week hold two evidence sessions on the role of technology in encouraging healthy and active lifestyles.

The Committee will hear from academics and sports technology entrepreneurs as it explores how technology, often blamed for encouraging sedentary lifestyles, can instead be harnessed to connect people to opportunities to be active.

The evidence sessions will start at 3:30pm on Wednesday 26 May. Giving evidence to the Committee will be:

3:30pm

• Anton Derlyatka, Co-founder and CEO, Sweatcoin
• Professor Chris Todd, Professor of Primary Care and Community Health, University of Manchester
  

4:30pm

• Dr Alex Fenton, Founder, FanFit and Lecturer in Digital Business, Salford Business School, University of Salford
• Jamie Foale, CEO, Playfinder
• Paul Foster, Chief Executive, The Great Run Company

The first session will focus on the opportunities and limitations of using technology to encourage physical activity, how online physical activity programmes can be developed and the role of gamification, and the role of influencers and social media in encouraging physical activity.

The second session will look at how technology can be used to make booking sport facilities easier and the impact of the digital divide on innovation and participation in sport and recreation.