AI-Supported Athlete Health at Samsunspor: How ai4sports Is Used
Samsunspor Club Doctor Dr. Fatih Vatansever explains how ai4sports thermal analysis supports athlete health, recovery and performance decisions.
Our goal is to protect the career of a player who earns a living at the professional level.
Dr. Fatih Vatansever, Samsunspor Club Doctor, explained how the club uses thermal imaging and AI-supported analysis in athlete health and performance processes. Vatansever stated that thermal analyses performed within the first 48 hours after a match provide an additional data layer for decision-making across the medical, physiotherapy, athletic performance and technical teams.
▶ Watch the thermal analysis workflow — 00:31
Thermal analysis within the first 48 hours after a match
Vatansever explained that Samsunspor has been using a thermal analysis approach for approximately three years, particularly within the first 48 hours after matches. After capturing full-body thermal images of the player, areas showing increased heat are evaluated with the support of artificial intelligence.
“After every match, we have a thermal analysis system that we apply within the first 48 hours. We have been using it for about three years. We capture a full-body thermal image of the player and use artificial intelligence to help interpret the areas where heat increases are observed.”
▶ Watch the post-match thermal analysis section — 00:35
Evaluating muscle fatigue and injury risk
Vatansever stated that thermal analysis results are compared with the player's previous baseline images, providing additional assessments regarding fatigue levels and injury risk in different muscle regions.
“The artificial intelligence compares the current images with the previous baseline images and gives us feedback indicating whether there is fatigue, high fatigue or an injury risk in the relevant muscle area.”
These outputs are not used as a standalone basis for decisions. Instead, they serve as an additional data source considered together with the medical team's clinical evaluations and performance data.
▶ Watch the AI-supported risk assessment — 00:47
A shared decision process between medical, performance and technical teams
Vatansever explained that the thermal analysis findings are shared with the athletic performance team, while decisions about how long a player should rest and which treatment or recovery processes should be applied are evaluated together with the physiotherapists in the medical team.
“We share these findings with our athletic performance team. Together with the physiotherapists in our medical team, we decide whether the player should rest, how long the rest period should be and which treatments should be applied. We then evaluate the findings with the athletic performance team and present them to the technical staff in the form of a report.”
▶ Watch the team-based decision process — 01:05
Protecting the athlete’s career during long rehabilitation processes
Vatansever also emphasized that serious sports injuries can have significant physical, psychological and career-related effects. He noted that in injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament tears, the overall surgical and rehabilitation process can take approximately nine months to one year.
For this reason, the medical team focuses not only on when the player can return to the field, but also on helping the athlete return to sport with confidence and protecting their long-term career.
▶ Watch the rehabilitation and career impact section — 01:23
“We are at the center of a triangle”
Vatansever described the medical team's need to remain objective between management, the technical staff and the player:
“We are at the center of a triangle: management, the technical team and the player. We cannot be closer to any one side. At the center of this triangle, equally distant from everyone, we have to make the most accurate and objective decision.”
▶ Watch the medical team’s decision-making approach — 01:54
The goal: protecting the professional athlete’s career
Thermal analysis and AI-supported assessments are used as an additional data layer that supports Samsunspor's existing medical and performance processes. The findings are evaluated together with physiotherapists, the athletic performance team and the technical staff to help support player-specific decisions.
Vatansever concluded by summarizing the medical team's core objective:
“Our goal is to protect the career of a player who earns a living at the professional level.”