Oura Marketing Manager Doug Sweeny Brings Smart Rings to the Olympics

Oura rings, smart bands made by Finnish company Oura, seem to be everywhere these days—they’ve been seen adorning the hands of tech CEOs, celebrities and athletes alike. They even entered the Olympics. As Team USA’s first “Official Wearable,” Oura rings will be given to US Olympians and Paralympians to track sleep, stress and other biometrics during the Milano Corto 2026 and Los Angeles 2028 Games, the company announced last week.

“This is a first-of-its-kind partnership, which we’re very proud of,” Doug Sweeny, Oura’s chief marketing officer, told the Observer via email. “Wearables are becoming important tools in professional sports, as competition increasingly goes beyond what happens during a match or game.”

Sweeny joined Oura in 2022 after marketing at Google, One Medical and Nest Labs. His time at Oura was marked by an emphasis on public visibility—a goal he pursued not only through sports collaborations, but also through campaigns such as Mission Impossible-themed ad featuring Tom Cruise and Oura’s sponsorship of CNN’s Magic Wall during the 2024 US presidential election.

The Olympics partnership is a banner few months for Oura, which has seen its stylish rings shake up the once-weak wearable technology market. Founded in Finland in 2013, the company’s brand exploded in popularity last year. As of September 2025, it has sold more than 5.5 million rings in total—a sharp increase from the 2.5 million sold as of June 2024. With increased demand has come new capital: Oura was valued at $11 billion last year after raising a $900 million Series E round.

Since 2024, the company has supported a number of Team USA sports-specific organizations, such as US Ski & Snowboard and USA Hockey, according to Sweeny. Last year, that team expanded to include US Speed ​​Skating and Women’s Soccer. The rings place particular emphasis on areas such as rest and recovery as athletes prepare for the physical and mental demands of elite competition.

“What made this partnership a natural fit was the shared vision between Oura and Team USA to learn a more holistic approach to training,” Sweeny said. “The best athletes don’t chase the perfect score; they use data to give themselves permission to rest, to back off when signals say they’re overdoing it, and to make more deliberate decisions about performance throughout the season, not just one game or race.”

Ensuring athletes get enough sleep has long been a focus of Oura, even before the Olympic partnership. American alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, for example, said she uses the Oura ring to help her avoid overexertion after hiking. American swimmer Katie Ledecky praised this product for reminding her to sleep more and go to bed earlier.

Oura’s Olympic tie-up coincides with a broader push for wearable technology in sports. NFL players now wear mouthguards and shoulder pads designed to make the league safer. NBA athletes use rings and vests to collect data that can help prevent injuries. Wearable technology has become so prevalent in professional sports that the ban on smart bands during this year’s Australian Open—which, like other tennis Grand Slams, still bans the devices—spurred widespread media coverage.

This increase may be due in part to a growing awareness among athletes that factors such as preparation, sleep and recovery are critical to competitive success, according to Sweeney. “As the physical and mental demands of professional sports continue to increase, wearables will play an increasingly important role in supporting performance, recovery and long-term health on and off the field.”

It’s not just elite athletes who are embracing smart rings—regular Americans are too. By 2025, US retail sales of fitness tracking devices increased by 88 percent year over yearaccording to consumer research firm Circana. Ring makers like Oura lead the way, with smart bracelets accounting for 75 percent of fitness tracker revenue for the year—up from 46 percent by 2024.

Oura plans to keep that momentum going. The company, which has already established partnerships with the NBA, UFC and NASCAR, will not stop at the Olympics. “We’re always looking to explore meaningful partnerships that expand our reach,” Sweeny said.