Atos Doubles Down on Sports Tech with DanceSport Digital Overhaul

PARIS, FRANCE – January 09, 2026 – In a move that signals a deepened commitment to the global sports market, technology giant Atos has announced a strategic partnership with the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). The collaboration aims to spearhead a comprehensive digital transformation for the IOC-recognized sport, leveraging Atos's extensive experience in managing technology for major global events. While the partnership promises to bring DanceSport into a new technological era, it also serves as a crucial strategic play for Atos as it navigates a period of significant corporate reinvention.

A Strategic Play Amidst Corporate Evolution

The announcement arrives as Atos undergoes a profound transformation. The French multinational is in the advanced stages of a major restructuring, highlighted by its “Genesis” strategic plan unveiled in mid-2025. This plan is designed to streamline operations, revitalize growth, and firmly establish the company as a leader in AI-powered digital solutions. A key part of this strategy has been the planned divestiture of its legacy Tech Foundations business to focus the remaining entity, to be known as Eviden, on high-growth areas like cybersecurity, cloud, and advanced computing.

Within this context, the WDSF partnership is more than just another client win. It reinforces Atos's commitment to its highly successful Sports and Major Events division, a unit with over 30 years of experience. This division has been a consistent high-performer, managing the complex IT infrastructure for the world's most prestigious competitions. Atos boasts a long-standing relationship with the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, serving as a key technology partner since 1992, and has more recently become the Official IT Partner for UEFA National Team Football and an Innovation Partner for CONMEBOL.

By adding the WDSF to its portfolio, Atos is strategically cementing its position as the go-to technology backbone for international sports federations. This deal allows the company to showcase its most advanced capabilities in a specialized, high-visibility sector, aligning perfectly with the Genesis plan's focus on high-value, AI-driven services. It demonstrates a clear strategy to build on proven strengths, providing stability and a forward-looking narrative while the broader corporate restructuring continues.

Modernizing the Ballroom: Early Wins and Future Ambitions

The partnership's goals are ambitious, aiming to overhaul every digital touchpoint of DanceSport. Key focus areas include creating sophisticated digital ticketing platforms, implementing intelligent competition management services, generating data-driven insights for athletes and fans, and launching innovative fan engagement solutions.

"We are thrilled to join forces with the WDSF to drive the digital transformation of DanceSport," said Nacho Moros, Head of Major Events at Atos. "Together with WDSF, we are opening new horizons for athletes and fans, ensuring DanceSport continues to grow and inspire all its stakeholders.”

The collaboration has already yielded impressive results. The first major initiative was a customized ticketing platform for the WDSF DanceSport Festival in Blackpool in April 2025. According to the federation, the platform's launch was met with an immediate and overwhelming response, selling over 200 tickets in the first 12 hours—a figure described as a "huge increase" that set a new benchmark for event management efficiency.

Building on this success, Atos is slated to manage digital services for upcoming major events, including the 2026 Blackpool festival and, significantly, the 2026 Brisbane World Breaking DanceSport Festival. This event is a landmark for the Breaking discipline, which is seeking to build on the momentum from its Olympic debut at Paris 2024.

Shawn Tay, WDSF President, commented on the strategic importance of the collaboration, stating, “This partnership with Atos marks a significant milestone in our mission to expand the reach and impact of DanceSport. By integrating advanced technology into our competitions and athlete experiences, we are not only enhancing the sport’s accessibility and appeal but also setting new standards for innovation and excellence worldwide.”

Beyond the Scorecard: Data, AI, and the Olympic Dream

The most transformative potential of the Atos-WDSF partnership lies in the application of advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence. While enhanced ticketing and broadcasting are crucial, the ability to harness data could fundamentally change how DanceSport is coached, judged, and consumed. Atos's expertise in AI opens the door to a future of smart competition management, where analytics could provide deeper insights into performance, potentially assisting judges with objective metrics and offering athletes new tools for training and development.

This technological push is intrinsically linked to the WDSF's long-term ambitions, particularly its relationship with the Olympic movement. The federation has been recognized by the IOC since 1997, and the inclusion of Breaking at the Paris 2024 Games was a monumental step. However, the discipline's subsequent exclusion from the Los Angeles 2028 lineup highlights the fierce competition for Olympic spots and the need for sports to continuously innovate and demonstrate global appeal.

By investing in a robust digital ecosystem, the WDSF is making a case for the relevance and growth potential of all its disciplines. Technology can make the sport more accessible to a younger, digitally-native audience through immersive fan experiences, personalized content, and interactive platforms. A data-rich environment could also enhance the sport's narrative, creating compelling storylines around athlete performance and competition dynamics, much like what has been seen in sports like Formula 1 and professional cycling. This digital infrastructure is no longer a luxury but a prerequisite for any sport aiming to capture and retain global attention in a crowded entertainment landscape.