Technology powers fitness training in Cesena, Italy

In the Italian city of Cesena, fitness company Technogym has built a global hub for sports science and innovation, launching the first World Treadmill Championship and creating a dedicated pathway to the World Athletics Road Running Championships 2027. Completed in 2012, Technogym Village on the outskirts of Cesena integrates a fitness centre, manufacturing facilities, and logistics operations, serving as the company’s global headquarters. Inside a laboratory called the Technogym Lab, an athlete fitted with several circular white sensors performs running and jumping tests on a treadmill and marked test platforms. Surrounding systems precisely record every footfall, jump, and arm movement. Silvano Zanuso, Technogym’s director of scientific research, explained that a force platform measures output, a motion capture system tracks movement trajectory, and sensors monitor muscle activity. Through this data, athletic performance, biomechanics, and movement efficiency are analysed to design personalised training programmes. Outside the laboratory stands a strength-training machine, the first fitness machine ever produced by Technogym. Founder and president Nerio Alessandri built the company in his family’s garage in a small village near Cesena in 1983. The small town has remained closely tied to the sports and fitness industry for over four decades. As a long-term official supplier to the Olympics, Technogym provides training equipment and technological support for Olympic athletes. On 3 June, Technogym Village hosted the launch of the first World Treadmill Championship. In this 5-kilometre race, runners of all levels worldwide can compete using connected treadmills at certified centres, with results displayed on a global online leaderboard. Athletes who qualify from the heats and regional rounds will be invited to the final, scheduled for next March at Technogym Village. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said, ‘Running is a huge part of our market, 90 per cent of the athletics business is running. Hundreds of thousands of people every week run using Technogym technology. I think this event will introduce our sport to young people, and that is good.’ World Athletics will award wildcard tickets to the best male and female athletes from each member federation, giving them the opportunity to compete in the 5-kilometre race at the 2027 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, eastern China.