The Cardano Foundation has joined forces with the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) in a new three-year partnership to pilot blockchain, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions across Brazilian sport.
Under the agreement, COB and Cardano will explore practical applications that aim to boost sports management, transparency and operational efficiency for athletes, coaches, federations and fans. The programme is organised around four core pillars: digital identity and certification, fan engagement, equipment tracking, and governance and transparency in funding programs.
A major focus will be on secure digital identities for athletes and coaches. Those identities could enable globally verifiable certifications and drastically reduce paper-based records across sports programs. Another priority is intelligent tracking of sports equipment through permanent, auditable digital records, which COB says could improve information security and day-to-day operations.
Cardano Foundation reports the first executive workshop has already taken place and institutional pilots are expected to follow as the partnership moves from planning to applied testing. COB’s director general, Emanuel Rego, framed the deal as more than a technical upgrade, saying the committee 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 places COB at the “front of digital transformation in sport.” Rafael Fraga, the Cardano Foundation’s manager for Latin America, said the foundation is eager to share next steps.
The COB partnership is part of Cardano’s broader push in Brazil. The Foundation has previously partnered with SERPRO, the federal IT provider, to support blockchain education and public-sector applications, and in May launched the first Cardano Project Development Lab in Latin America at the University of Brasília. That lab concentrates on blockchain, AI, IoT, digital identity, governance and public-sector tools.
For COB, the arrangement provides a national sports body with a testing ground for public blockchain tools in everyday administration; the initial pilots will show whether these systems can meaningfully improve record-keeping, trust, fan engagement and internal controls. For Cardano, the deal is a high-profile non-financial use case tied to sport — focused on records, identity, transparency and education rather than token launches or direct payment products.
The announcement did not specify which sports or athletes will be involved, nor did it set firm pilot start dates. COB said the first projects are expected to be developed in the coming months following the initial workshop.
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