Swiss SportsTech Report 2026: Switzerland builds top hardware. Grassroots sport is missing the digital layer.

For the first time, someone has measured how big the Swiss sports tech industry is. In October 2026, Swiss Olympic published the Swiss SportsTech Report 2026 together with PwC and generis. The figures are surprising, and they reveal a gap that is particularly interesting for destinations, organisers and brands.

An industry nobody had counted before

402 companies across all 26 cantons, around CHF 8 bn in revenue, roughly 17'000 full-time jobs: that makes sports tech in Switzerland about as big as the biotech industry. The flagships are well known, with On and Sportradar together accounting for around half of the revenue.

Below them lies a broad base of small firms. Three quarters generate less than CHF 1 m in sports revenue, and 61% have ten employees or fewer.

Three findings that matter for grassroots sport

1. The biggest market is grassroots sport, and it is served mainly with equipment. Half of all market assignments in the report go to recreational athletes and the active population. This is carried by equipment, apparel and materials. Digital technologies account for only 32% of technology assignments, compared with 49% in Australia. Switzerland builds outstanding shoes, skis and bikes. Digital tools that get people moving outdoors are much rarer.

2. Increasingly, it's not the users who pay. Among the customers companies want to target in future, sponsors and brands grow the most (more than 6 percentage points), followed by media. Professional organisations and athletes lose weight. The report reads this as a shift from user to payer: sport remains the experience, and it is financed by those looking for reach and contacts.

3. What's missing is pilot projects and visibility, not technology. Product development ranks far down the list of desired support. At the top are capital (58%), commercialisation (53%), pilot projects (47%) and visibility (46%). The industry has strong products, but too few places where it can show what it can do in real-world operation.

What this means for destinations, organisers and brands

People are active: according to the report, around one in two people in Switzerland does sport several times a week. There are routes, passes, summits and event courses in abundance. What's often missing is a digital layer that turns a route suggestion into a reason to head out and come back, and that shows who is actually out there.

Where LaceUp comes in

LaceUp is such a layer. As an ETH Zurich start-up, we build outdoor challenges that run entirely under our clients' own brand. Summits, passes, huts or course sections become checkpoints that participants collect over a whole season. Activities are recorded via common fitness trackers, the LaceUp Tracking App or a QR code on site.

That fits all three findings:

• Digital for grassroots sport: no new hardware, but a layer on top of existing routes and events.
• Paid for by those who benefit: destinations, organisers and brands carry the format. Participants register with them, and the contacts stay with them, with consent.
• A pilot instead of a major project: a format can be tested with a few checkpoints over one season and expanded afterwards.

Two examples from practice: Alpenbrevet Extended makes the passes of the Swiss Cycling Alpenbrevet rideable all season long. Around 2'000 participants take part every year, 65% of whom have never been to the physical event. Andermatt Tourism uses the format as a communication channel.

The Rockand 7 Hills Challenge takes around 1'000 participants over seven summits around Lake Zurich, with ZKB and Zürcher Wanderwege as presenting partners. In total, LaceUp has run more than 70 events with over 27'000 participants and analysed more than 1 million activities.

Outlook: ten years of attention for sport

The report sees the road to a possible 2038 Winter Olympics as a catalyst for the whole industry. Milestones along the way are the 2027 Alpine Ski World Championships in Crans-Montana and the 2029 Special Olympics World Games. Its recommendation: get organised before the investment decisions are made.

For destinations and organisers, now is a good time to try out digital formats that keep running after the major event.

Do you have routes, passes or courses that deserve more guests? We'd be happy to show you what a pilot for your region or your event could look like. Get in touch

Source: Swiss SportsTech Report 2026, Swiss Olympic with PwC and generis.