Identifying and prioritizing opportunities and challenges for implementing emerging technologies in entrepreneurship development and sports startups: A blended approach with emphasis on the OPA technique
The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize the opportunities and challenges of implementing emerging technologies in the development of entrepreneurship and sports startups with a blended approach and with an emphasis on the OPA technique. The emerging technologies considered in this study were artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, blockchain, data mining, cloud computing, metaverse, and robotics.This study is applied in purpose and exploratory in nature, following a mixed-method design. In the qualitative phase, 22 experts participated in semi-structured interviews, and the data were analyzed through thematic analysis to identify the themes related to opportunities and challenges of implementing emerging technologies. In the quantitative phase, the OPA technique was applied with the participation of 10 selected experts (with both domestic and international experience). The collected data were analyzed using LINGO software version 20, and the final weights of the identified themes were determined through a linear programming model. Findings showed that among opportunities, “Market Development and Service Innovation” (overall weight: 0.280), “Improving Efficiency and Productivity” (0.254), and “Sports Performance Transformation” (0.109) ranked highest. Among challenges, “Economic and Financial Barriers” (0.495), “Legal and Policy Barriers” (0.362), and “Security and Ethical Barriers” (0.255) were the most critical obstacles. The emerging technologies mentioned above create significant opportunities for the development of sports businesses in Iran; however, realizing these opportunities requires addressing economic, legal, and cultural barriers. It is recommended that policymakers implement regulatory reforms and financial infrastructure while businesses focus on innovative models to effectively leverage these technologies.
Shoja, H. , Torkfar, A. , MirHosseini, S. M. M. H. and moghadasi, M. (2026). Identifying and prioritizing opportunities and challenges for implementing emerging technologies in entrepreneurship development and sports startups: A blended approach with emphasis on the OPA technique. Journal of Sport Management Knowledge, 4(2), -. doi: 10.22034/jsmk.2026.71797.1254
MLA
Shoja, H. , , Torkfar, A. , , MirHosseini, S. M. M. H. , and moghadasi, M. . "Identifying and prioritizing opportunities and challenges for implementing emerging technologies in entrepreneurship development and sports startups: A blended approach with emphasis on the OPA technique", Journal of Sport Management Knowledge, 4, 2, 2026, -. doi: 10.22034/jsmk.2026.71797.1254
HARVARD
Shoja, H., Torkfar, A., MirHosseini, S. M. M. H., moghadasi, M. (2026). 'Identifying and prioritizing opportunities and challenges for implementing emerging technologies in entrepreneurship development and sports startups: A blended approach with emphasis on the OPA technique', Journal of Sport Management Knowledge, 4(2), pp. -. doi: 10.22034/jsmk.2026.71797.1254
CHICAGO
H. Shoja , A. Torkfar , S. M. M. H. MirHosseini and M. moghadasi, "Identifying and prioritizing opportunities and challenges for implementing emerging technologies in entrepreneurship development and sports startups: A blended approach with emphasis on the OPA technique," Journal of Sport Management Knowledge, 4 2 (2026): -, doi: 10.22034/jsmk.2026.71797.1254
VANCOUVER
Shoja, H., Torkfar, A., MirHosseini, S. M. M. H., moghadasi, M. Identifying and prioritizing opportunities and challenges for implementing emerging technologies in entrepreneurship development and sports startups: A blended approach with emphasis on the OPA technique. Journal of Sport Management Knowledge, 2026; 4(2): -. doi: 10.22034/jsmk.2026.71797.1254
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