The unifying motto for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, “Games Wide Open,” serves as a global call to Olympic scholars to convene in Paris for an exposition of innovation and novel experiences. The 2024 iteration of the Olympics is posited as an embodiment of the “Games of the Future,” a concept central to the 11th International Sport Business Symposium’s thematic directions. Overall, the Symposium supports the IOC Agenda 2020+5 and the newly promulgated Olympic AI Agenda—both documents delineate mega trends and strategies to ensure that the Games and Olympic Movement remain innovative amidst the challenges of the Digital Era. Concerning these propositions, the Symposium’s 11th edition was distinguished by hosting the inaugural presentation of booklet titled “Data Strategies for AI, Management, and Research in PE, Sports, and Leisure”. This non commercial publication, authored by a team of scholars including Bianca Pena and Lamartine DaCosta (member of the scientific committee)—who also contributed to this symposium—aligns with both the Symposium’s themes and the progressive strides of the Olympic Movement and Paris Olympics. Originating from the State University of Rio de Janeiro—a longstanding collaborator with previous Symposium editions—the booklets’ themes resonate with the enduring Olympic pursuit of excellence. We trust that this forthcoming edition will be met with acclaim and will embody the Olympic ethos of ‘faster, higher, stronger, together’ which inspires us all.
