When the cream of British sporting talent arrives in China’s capital for the Olympics, fellow competitors are not the only thing they will need to beat in their quest to win medals. A sprawling industrial metropolis, Beijing presents the toughest environmental adversaries in the form of heat, humidity and pollution. Aware that winning margins are slender (five of the British team’s gold medals in the 2004 Olympics were won by a total of 0.545 seconds), British sports scientists have left no stone unturned in making sure our athletes are well prepared. Here are just some of the innovations lined up to help them.
Heat-chamber training
Despite the publicity about pollution in Beijing, the biggest problem facing athletes remains the heat and humidity. “Whilst 30C heat is not challenging in itself, the humidity of 95% will have a profound effect on athlete performance in Beijing,” says Professor Greg Whyte, director of science and research at the English Institute of Sport (EIS). “When humidity is this high, sweat can’t evaporate. This results in an inability to remove heat from the body that can have a debilitating effect on performance.” To help athletes prepare, a heat chamber has been developed at the EIS high-performance centre at Bisham Abbey in Buckinghamshire. According to EIS sport scientist Will George, the 7m x 7m room, which is filled with exercise machines, is the largest non-military chamber of its kind in Britain and unique in that it can simulate different temperatures and humidity as well as altitude. “Even highly trained athletes will find that their body temperature increases quite rapidly if they are not acclimatised,” George says. “The chamber, in addition to time spent in the holding camp at Macau [on the south coast of China] 10 days before the Olympics, will leave athletes well prepared.”
Heat pills
Electronic pills developed by Nasa could prove to be the ultimate secret weapon for British athletes preparing for the heat of Beijing. The white, silicone-coated tablets act like internal thermometers and are designed to measure core body temperature. Athletes swallow the pills – half battery and half radio transmitter – while they exercise in laboratories designed to simulate the heat of China. The tablets pass through their stomachs into their intestines to monitor and record real-time rises in body temperature that might adversely affect performance. The pills transmit information back to medical staff via a wireless connection, allowing team doctors to tailor precautionary strategies so that each athlete can avoid heat illness.
Pre-cooling suits
“Pre-cooling the body before competition is one method to help avoid heat injury,” says Scott Drawer, UK Sport’s research and innovation consultant. Since 25% of the body’s total energy expenditure goes into moving muscle and 75% into regulating heat, the theory is that reducing an athlete’s core temperature means more energy for the competition itself. Some athletes will be opting for space-age-looking Pre-Cool vests. Developed by British designer Eddie Harber, who is based at Nike’s innovation and technology headquarters in Oregon, the vests comprise two layers of cooling materials – an inner layer filled with frozen water and an insulating outer layer – which lower the body’s core temperature and have been shown to help some people perform up to 21% longer in hot conditions.
Anti-smog masks
Pollution, and the resultant smog that often hovers over Beijing, can reach five times the levels deemed safe by the World Health Organisation. The smog has prompted the marathon world record-holder, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, to pull out of the event because he has asthma, and he is now expected to run only in the 10,000m. Tiny pollutant particles can be transported into the part of the lungs where oxygen is transferred into the bloodstream, potentially causing asthma-like symptoms even in people who don’t have asthma. “In something like the marathon, where athletes take 40-50 breaths per minute and there is a need for oxygen to be transported to the muscles, pollution could cause real problems,” says sports physiologist John Brewer. “Oxygen normally comprises 21% of the air but that would be compromised, with less oxygen getting to the working muscles.” Scientists have developed special anti-smog masks which will help competitors to breathe more easily as they walk around the Olympic village and city of Beijing. Commissioned by UK Sport’s Research and Innovation Unit, and developed over four years by Professor Alison McConnell and her team of respiratory experts at Brunel University, PUREbreathe masks have a filter containing absorbant material to soak up pollutants in the air.
Advanced isotonic drinks
Just a 2% drop in hydration levels can severely limit athletic performance, so the replacement of fluid and electrolyte (or body salt) losses will be a priority for athletes in Beijing. Experts at the British Olympic Medical Institute at Northwick Park hospital, Harrow, have been working with scientists at Powerade, suppliers of the official British team sports drink, to formulate a liquid to meet the hydration needs of athletes in Beijing temparatures. Marco Cardinale, head of sports science and research at the British Olympic Association, says that the Powerade Pro drink differs from regular isotonic sports drinks in that it has fewer carbohydrates (4% compared with the typical 6-8%) to help increase the rate of fluid uptake by leaving more room in the gut. The athletes will also be drinking gallons of the stuff, so higher carbohydrate levels could lead to them putting on weight. It also has a higher sodium content, which helps the body retain fluid.
Compression technology outfits
Sprinters, throwers, cyclists and swimmers will all be wearing garments featuring Powerweb compression technology, which works by supporting muscles as they contract and expand during activity, preventing unnecessary muscle movement and conserving energy. Tests at the University of Calgary have revealed that Powerweb clothing can result in an average 5.3% improvement in power output and a 1.1% faster sprint time over 30m. Other special fabrics, such as Climacool, which helps to prevent body temperature from rising too much, have been used to make every item of team kit. Also, for the first time, athletes will be provided with bespoke sunglasses to help protect their eyes from the intense glare of the sun.
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