Can maths save your knees? The data-driven future of sport, 30/05/2025

RTL Today - The Lisa Burke Show

From Olympic training to injury prevention, Luxembourg hosts the world’s brightest minds to prove why maths might just be sport’s secret superpower.
After a round-up of mid-week news with Sasha Kehoe, my guests this week are:
- Prof. Christophe Ley – Main organiser of MathSport International; leads the Modelling, Interdisciplinary Research, Data Science, Applied Mathematics and Statistics group at the University of Luxembourg.
- Prof. Romain Seil – World-renowned orthopaedic knee surgeon, IOC advisor, Director of the Neurosciences and Musculoskeletal Diseases Division at Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg; co-founder of the European Society of Sports Traumatology, knee Surgery and Arthroscopy - ESSKA’s Pediatric ACL registry and previous President of ESSKA, amongst many other organisations.
- Prof. Thorben Hülsdünker – Professor in Performance Neuroscience and Sport Neurophysiology, Head of the Neurophysiology and Motor Control Research Area at LUNEX.
- Alwin de Prins – Former Olympian and Managing Director at the Luxembourg Institute for High Performance in Sports (LIHPS)
- Katarzyna Szczerba – PhD student with Prof. Ley, using machine learning with medical data to best use this data for injury prevention, and much more.
This week on The Lisa Burke Show, we dive deep into a blend of brain and brawn as Luxembourg hosts the 11th International MathSport Conference. While it may sound niche, what’s unfolding here could revolutionise how athletes train, recover—and even avoid career-ending injuries. And not just athletes as many injuries are caused by people unprepared for activities they undertake once a year, such as skiing.
Held from June 4–6 in the Coque and LUNEX University, the conference unites elite athletes, data scientists, surgeons and policymakers to explore how mathematics, data science and AI are transforming global sport.
A Surgeon's Warning
Professor Romain Seil, Luxembourg’s globally celebrated knee specialist, put it bluntly:
"If I could ban two sports for injury prevention, it would be football and alpine skiing."
His data from years in the operating room is compelling. ACL injuries are devastating, often leading to early joint replacements. Professor Seil hopes we can increasingly pool real data to reform training, and embed prevention strategies from grass-roots to Olympic levels.
“Coaches often don’t realise the long-term damage until multiple players are injured. Data is how we change that.”
Brains Behind the Brawn
Professor Thorben Hülsdünker of LUNEX added another dimension with a focus on the connection of our body with our brain. He studies the neurophysiology of elite performance, from how athletes see and react, and how training can rewire the brain.
“The brain is the next frontier of sports training,” he said. “Understanding it will define the next generation of champions.”
Prof Hülsdünker knows that the best training targets both muscles and minds, combining sport science with neuroscience.
AI Gets Personal
PhD student AI-enhanced Cox Model blends machine learning with statistical models to predict runner injuries, and other medical issues, before they happen.
“We’re building tools that doctors and coaches can understand: simple, interpretable, but powerful enough to prevent injury.”
Her AI-enhanced Cox Model is one of the standout presentations at MathSport 2025.
From Pool to Policy
Alwin de Prins, a three-time Olympic swimmer and now Director of LIHPS, reflects on what’s changed since his competitive days:
“I never had this level of support as an athlete. Now, our goal is to optimise not just performance, but well-being and life after sport.”
His mission includes dual career planning, athlete health, and placing Luxembourg firmly on the map as a sporting—and scientific—nation.
Why Luxembourg? Why Now?
Professor Christophe Ley, the heart of this year’s conference, pulled it all together:
“Sport is full of data. We want to extract meaning from it—not just for medals, but for health, safety, and strategy.”
With keynote talks ranging from sports analytics to injury prevention and economics, MathSport 2025 puts Luxembourg at the centre of a growing global movement: data-driven sport.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alwindeprins/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophe-ley-b71607166/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/romain-seil-9952172a/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thorbenhuelsduenker/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarzyna-szczerba-4402b9192/
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