CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on Monday appointed Ramesh Kumar, former head of ESPN (India and South Asia) and Global head of ESPNcricinfo, as the Chief Executive Officer of Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA).

"The Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics at IIT-M will be a global platform for fostering innovation in sports technology and deliver products and solutions to enhance athlete performance and also serve general fitness and health consumers. It will also create and deliver products and solutions across media platforms and work with sporting federations and bodies (creating their platforms and enhancing on-ground experience and working with other media platforms) to increase fan engagement, " a release from IIT-Madras read.

CESSA will also be establishing an Incubator ecosystem for sport tech start-ups.

This will be supported by interdisciplinary faculties accomplished in the field of modelling, data science, IoT and AI, and wearables and biomechanics.

The centre will also deliver high-quality Sports science and education courses and sports coaching products targeted at students and coaches through various strategic collaborations with IIT Madras' credibility, expertise, content, and certification.