Spanish Badminton: Saliva Analysis for Euro Championship Edge

Members of the Spanish Badminton Team.

The International University of La Rioja (JOIN) and the Spanish Badminton Federation (FESBA) will implement first time a traveling salivary analysis laboratory during a European Championship to monitor the performance of the National Team in real time.

This scientific initiative, which will be developed during the international competition in April 2026 in Huelvaallows psychophysiological monitoring of players through the analysis of salivary biomarkers.

Through this system, the group’s researchers TECNODEF of UNITING They will monitor the biological response of the athletes during the tournament. The data obtained will be used to individually adjust training loads, rest periods and nutritional strategies, with the aim of optimizing physical performance, decision making and post-competitive recovery capacity.

Applied science and decision making in real time

This infrastructure will favor the integration of hormonal data with sports information during the official tournament: such as training loads, matches played and the player’s own feelings.

This collaboration with the coaching staff in the intervention and adaptation of the athlete seeks, as a final objective, increase players’ chances of success who will represent Spain in the most important event in European badminton.

The Installation of this mobile laboratory at the championship headquarters represents a key competitive advantage by eliminating logistical waiting times. The system is designed to process the samples during the tournament itself, without the need to send them to external centers, and obtain results within deadlines compatible with making technical decisions prior to the participation of each player in each match they play in the tournament.

Scientific innovation applied to high performance

This project, which is part of the FESBA’s scientific innovation strategy, places Spanish badminton at the forefront of high performance and adopts methodologies already used by elite football clubslike Borussia Dortmund, in Champions League competitions.

Training of the Spanish Badminton Team at the High Performance Center of the Higher Sports Council, Madrid.

“The mobile laboratory guarantees the processing of samples in a non-invasive and safe way, analyzing key indicators such as cortisol, testosterone, interleukin 6 and immunoglobulin A,” he explains. Manuel Jimenezscientific director of the project and researcher of the TECNODEF group.

These markers offer precise information on competitive stress, physiological demand and risk of muscle injury, allowing the coaching staff to make a diagnosis of each athlete. without interfering in its preparation.

Customizing performance using algorithms

Jiménez highlights the paradigm shift that this technology represents: “This approach transforms performance control from a retrospective model to a dynamic and preventive modelwhich makes it possible to make immediate decisions about rest and ad hoc load adjustment.”

The analysis is based on the neuroendocrinology of stress and uses specialized algorithms to compare each athlete with themselves. “The use of individual profiles helps us detect accumulated physical and mental fatigue early; the objective is for the athlete to perform better and with the lowest possible risk of disadaptation,” says the UNIR researcher.

Reference in research applied to sports

The collaboration between both institutions reinforces the positioning of UNIR as a reference in applied research and consolidates the innovative leadership of FESBA.

UNIR’s TECNODEF research group is international pioneer in the use of salivary biomarkers to improve performanceprevent injuries and control training loads.

With a career that includes collaboration with more than 400 professional athletes In disciplines such as cycling, handball, field hockey, judo, esports, basketball or athletics, the group stands out especially for its work with teams in the Professional Football League and international clubs in the Champions League.

The results obtained in Huelva will not only optimize the immediate performance of the National Badminton Team, but will also establish a scientific model exportable to other federations and future international eventssuch as World Championships or Olympic Games.