The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports approved guidance on the responsible use of performance technologies during a virtual meeting earlier this week.
Performance technologies are devices that enable users to collect and record biometric and/or performance data. Devices may be directly attached to individual athletes or their athletic equipment, or they may indirectly monitor athletic performance (e.g., cameras, sensors, surveys, software, mobile apps).
The guidance was developed using a modified Delphi consensus process after the NCAA Summit on Performance Technologies in Collegiate Athletics, which was commissioned by the committee and hosted by the NCAA Sport Science Institute in May in Indianapolis.
The consensus process resulted in the creation of foundational statements (the most important takeaways), recommendation statements (general considerations) and strategy statements (for implementation).
Foundational considerations from the guidance include:
- Performance technologies are just one tool schools may use to address student-athlete health, safety and performance, and the utility of performance technologies depends on how well they address user needs.
- Performance technologies may have unintended impacts on student-athlete health, safety and performance, including implications for mental health.
- Schools should establish a written plan that addresses the responsible use of performance technologies, including how relevant groups will be educated, how the school will manage and protect student-athlete performance technology data, how the school will make decisions about purchasing and implementing new technologies and how the school will approach continuous improvement.
The committee also supported a socialization plan for the guidance, including a number of educational opportunities that will begin with an educational session at the 2026 NCAA Convention. The full consensus statements will be available early in 2026.
Prevention and harm reduction
The committee also reviewed a charter to create a Prevention and Harm Reduction Advisory Group, which it will charge with making recommendations to update the NCAA Substance Misuse Prevention Tool Kit and generating guidance on other health promotion topics (e.g., sports betting, hazing). The newly commissioned advisory group will begin its work in spring 2026.
USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project and Paralympic eligibility
The committee provided feedback on opportunities to create greater awareness of Paralympic eligibility and classification criteria among collegiate athletics health care providers. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the NCAA launched the Para-College Inclusion Project in 2022 to engage schools in offering adaptive sports to collectively increase Paralympic sports understanding, awareness and connection.
