Cardano Foundation teams up with Brazil’s Olympic Committee to pilot blockchain, AI and IoT in sport
The Cardano Foundation has struck a partnership with the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) to pilot blockchain, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things tools across Brazilian sport. The three‑year collaboration aims to build practical, non‑financial blockchain use cases for athletes, coaches, federations and fans — positioning COB as a potential global benchmark in sports innovation.
What they’ll test
The roadmap focuses on four practical areas:
- Digital identity and certification: secure digital IDs for athletes and coaches that could enable globally verifiable certifications and reduce reliance on paper records.
- Fan engagement: exploring ways to deepen interaction and trust between teams and supporters.
- Equipment tracking: intelligent tracking and trusted digital records for sports gear, using permanent, auditable and verifiable records to improve operations and information security.
- Governance and transparency: clearer, traceable records for funding programs and internal controls.
Early steps and timelines
The Cardano Foundation says an initial executive workshop has already taken place and institutional pilots will follow as the partnership moves from planning into applied testing. The organizations expect the first projects to be developed in the coming months, though the announcement did not specify which sports, athletes or exact pilot dates.
Voices from the deal
Emanuel Rego, COB’s director general, framed the partnership as more than a technical upgrade: COB wants to “lead by example” and use innovation to strengthen trust with athletes, federations and society. Marcelo Santos, COB’s technology manager, said the move puts the committee at the forefront of digital transformation in sport. Rafael Fraga, the Cardano Foundation’s manager in Latin America, said the foundation is eager to reveal the next steps as pilots roll out.
How this fits in Cardano’s Brazil strategy
The COB deal builds on Cardano’s broader push in Brazil. Earlier collaborations include a partnership with SERPRO, the state-owned IT provider, to support blockchain education and public sector use, and a May agreement with the University of Brasília to launch the first Cardano Project Development Lab in Latin America — a program focused on blockchain, AI, IoT, digital identity, governance and public sector tools.
Scope and limitations
The partnership is explicitly non‑financial: it does not involve a token launch or a direct payment product. Instead, the emphasis is on records, identity, transparency and education — real‑world administrative use cases that could show whether public blockchain tools can improve record keeping, trust, fan engagement and internal checks in sport.
Next steps
COB and the Cardano Foundation plan to move from workshops to institutional pilots over the coming months. Observers will be watching to see which specific applications are chosen first and whether the trials deliver measurable improvements in transparency and operational efficiency.
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