Unlock human performance potential
Discover how Sports Technology at Otago blends biomechanics, data analysis, and cutting-edge tools to explore, measure, and improve athletic performance — preparing you for diverse, in-demand careers.
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Hi, my name is Peter Lamb. I’m a lecturer at the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences. I teach performance analysis and sports biomechanics, and I’m the programme leader of Sports Technology.
Sports Technology is a rapidly changing discipline that basically involves measuring and analysing human performance. A few careers that students go into after taking Sports Technology are performance analysis, where you’d be looking at analysing game stats either from video or from specialised sensors; technique analysis, which is the study of individual skills using mainly biomechanical analysis.
Students often go into research and development, so they do product testing, looking at things like shoe technology or different sports equipment. Some students go into research. We had a student last year who just finished up — he was working with Snow Sport New Zealand, studying the workload and performance of elite snowboard athletes in slopestyle snowboarding.
If you decide to enrol in Sports Technology, your first year would involve studying a core group of papers looking at human physiology, anatomy, and sports science. Later on in the programme, you have a choice of choosing between a couple of different pathways. One pathway would be design, which would consist mostly of computer science papers. Another pathway is analysis, where you would be taking statistics and data analysis, data science papers.
It’ll be helpful if you have a strong mathematics and science background from Year 13 in school. If you decide to come to Otago to study Sports Technology, we have an excellent staff. We look forward to working with you and teaching about exercise physiology, biomechanics, and motor control.
We’re the top-ranked university in New Zealand for sports-related topics, and we’re currently ranked 12th in the world. If you’re interested in Sports Technology, we look forward to hearing from you.
Minor-only subject
Please note: this subject can only be taken as a minor.
A minor subject can be included in many of our undergraduate degrees. To earn a minor, you typically must complete a minimum of 90 points in that subject, with at least 18 points at the 300-level.
Your minor can be a subject more commonly taken for a different degree. For example, a BCom majoring in Marketing can include Japanese as a minor subject. To include this subject as a minor in your application, first find a major subject through our Subject Search or Study Match.
You can check what’s required to receive the minor accreditation in the programme details below.
Related subject areas
Explore all subject areasWhere human performance meets innovation
Sports Technology works well with subjects that explore movement, design, and human experience. Due to its interdisciplinary content, Sports Technology helps you think creatively, broaden your skills, and build confidence in how technology shapes sport and everyday life. This minor subject will also help prepare you for careers in sports performance analysis, technique analysis, or in the research and development of sports equipment and clothing. Opportunities also exist in app design and software programming, or in sports management.
Programme details
Compare programmes for this subject.
A minor subject can be included in many of our undergraduate degrees. To earn a minor, you typically must complete a minimum of 90 points in that subject, with at least 18 points at the 300-level.
Your minor can be a subject more commonly taken for a different degree. For example, a BCom majoring in Marketing can include Japanese as a minor subject. To include this subject as a minor in your application, first find a major subject through our Subject Search or Study Match.
You can check what’s required to receive the minor accreditation in the programme details below.
Available as a minor subject for a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Music (MusB), Bachelor of Performing Arts (BPA), Bachelor of Theology (BTheol), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Entrepreneurship (BEntr), Bachelor of Health Science (BHealSc), Bachelor of Arts and Commerce (BACom), Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc) or Bachelor of Commerce and Science (BComSc) degree
| Level | Papers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 100-level | SPEX 102 Principles of Exercise for Health and Performance | 18 |
| 200-level | One of: One of: | 18 18 |
| Note: INFO 204 and STAT 260 will continue to be offered up to 2026 and replaced in 2027 by new papers; COMP 220 and DATA 201. | ||
| 300-level | SPEX 311 Sports Technology One of: | 18 18 |
| Notes: (i) Students should check the prerequisites for 200- and 300-level papers when selecting their 100-level and 200-level papers. (ii) INFO 304 and STAT 312 will continue to be offered up to 2027 and replaced in 2028 by new papers; DATA 301 and DATA 302. | ||
| Total | 90 |
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Regulations on this page are taken from the 2026 Calendar and supplementary material.
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