A Look Inside a Champion’s Heart: AI-Powered Ultrasound Scanner Checks Athletes’ Health
New equipment is helping medical teams detect even the slightest changes in the health of both young athletes at sports schools and members of the South Ural regional team.
Chelyabinsk Regional Sports Medicine Clinic, which is marking its 75th anniversary, has received a new expert-class ultrasound scanner equipped with artificial intelligence (AI). The device can detect even subtle abnormalities in heart and muscle function, while its built-in algorithms handle some of the calculations.
The new equipment is particularly important for healthcare in the region. Every year, the clinic conducts in-depth examinations of more than 10,000 athletes from 70 sports schools in Chelyabinsk, as well as approximately 500 members of the regional team.
AI Detects Abnormalities
The system provides detailed images and helps clinicians examine structures and tissues that may not be clearly visible with conventional equipment.
The scanner is also used to examine muscles and tendons and monitor healing after injuries. But doctors pay particular attention to the heart. Elena Zagumennova, head of the clinic’s functional diagnostics department, explains: “In sports medicine, there is a concept known as the ‘athlete’s heart.’ It refers to the physiological adaptation of the cardiovascular system to regular, intense physical exertion. Our job is to make sure that we do not miss the point at which this physiological adaptation becomes pathological, because a pathological condition can lead to catastrophe.”
Smart Assistants for Doctors
AI is already making a significant contribution to Russian healthcare, including sports medicine. Several notable examples illustrate how the technology is being used.
In 2024, for example, specialists at Sechenov University introduced the Digital Athlete Passport. The system combines sensor-equipped insoles with an intelligent platform that analyzes movement. Nikolai Polukarov, a physician who led the working group, explained the concept: “First, we need to establish a baseline – a healthy athlete’s starting point – by recording their measurements in their initial condition. Nothing like this exists anywhere in the world yet. We will be the first to create such a project. Then, if an athlete becomes ill or, God forbid, gets injured, we will have their baseline data to guide us throughout the rehabilitation process.”
In 2025, researchers in Kazan used machine learning to assess the physiological indicators of 152 people. Their models distinguished professional athletes from people who engaged in moderate physical activity with more than 90% accuracy. That same year, researchers at Saratov State Medical University, working with colleagues from SberMedAI, developed an algorithm to analyze knee X-rays and detect osteoarthritis. Its accuracy exceeded 80% across a set of 160 images. Alexander Reshetnyak, head of Sberbank’s Saratov branch, noted at the time that “the results produced by the AI model were comparable to the reference assessment provided by a radiologist at a medical organization.”
From Equipment to Meaningful Use
The acquisition of the new AI-powered scanner by the Chelyabinsk Regional Sports Medicine Clinic is one example of the government's broader policy on sports medicine.
In October 2026, the government adopted a strategy for developing the sector through 2030. It calls on regions to modernize healthcare facilities and make greater use of digital tools. At present, only 56.2% of sports medicine and functional diagnostics departments have the necessary equipment, which means that substantial modernization is still needed.
Meanwhile, a pilot service called the Unified Digital Clearance System for Athletes has already been launched at sports medicine clinics in 52 regions, with records for more than 69,000 people now in the system. For the IT market, this signals growing demand for Russian software in this field, a trend expected to continue. In 2025, the medical technology market had already reached RUB 83.8 billion (approximately $1.02 billion), up 14% from the previous year. In the sector's industry atlas, 33 of the 99 listed solutions are AI-based. Russian developers also have opportunities to export their products. In 2026, SberMedAI held talks with prospective customers in India, Madagascar, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Faster and More Accurate
The arrival of the AI-powered ultrasound scanner in Chelyabinsk is part of the broader shift toward digital sports medicine. New technologies are reaching regional clinics and helping thousands of athletes. This approach provides a solid foundation for improving care, but it will not deliver its full benefits without training for physicians, clinical validation of the algorithms and assessments of their real-world value. Over the next few years, these systems are expected to see wider use. Patient data will be brought together in digital profiles, while risk-assessment algorithms will become faster, more reliable and more accurate.
