The Impact of Smart Technologies on Strengthening the Green Economy to Combat Climate Change and Sustain the Saudi Sports Sector

Introduction. Smart technologies enable the improvement of urban infrastructure to create well-being benefits as well as intellectual growth through modernized structural connectivity. Developments in smart urban concepts have gained popularity across developed nations, making them the next step from sustainable cities and essential for sustainable development. The study aimed to demonstrate the contribution of smart technologies to the green economy and confront climate changes in the Saudi sports sector. Material and methods. The researchers adopted a descriptive method for study purposes, and they selected descriptive survey study design since it best fitted to meet the objectives of the study. This approach was considered to be suitable because it matched the objectives of the research. The study included representatives of the sports industry of Saudi Arabia, such as sports clubs, federations, employees of sports facilities, and individuals who hold positions as presidents, board members, executive directors, administrators, specialists, and committee members. The study sample comprised 1,416 people who were chosen based on various categories within the studied population. Three questionnaires were applied as data collection tools, showing that the strong emphasis was put on smart technology applications and the implementation of green and environmentally friendly policies by some sports institutions in Saudi Arabia. Results. The outcomes proved to show a robust positive relationship between smart technology utilization, the green industry, and climate change mitigation. Conclusions. Smart technologies are believed to be a powerful tool for predicting the sustainability of sports ecosystems in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, it can be expected that smart technology will be the focus of study in this area. Possible future research areas would involve smart technologies for an advanced action of sustainable practices, probing long-run effects of smart technology adoption, and investigating hybrid schemes for incorporating smart technologies in sports for the sustainability of sports venues in Saudi Arabia.