World Colleges Information

Eight sprinters, a track and a tape. What could be further from cutting edge technology than a simple running race? But the influence of science is found in every aspect of modern sport. Athletes have their diets and training schedules designed by scientists. Materials technologists are constantly working on better footwear and clothing. Even the track itself will have been specially designed for maximum performance.

At the Sydney Olympics science and technology was everywhere. Swimmers in the pool sported the latest in drag reducing bodysuits. Marathon runners were electronically tagged to check on their position in the field. Even the Olympic sewerage system was state of the art.

As science begins to dominate sport, however, are we in danger of losing the raw physical challenge that is at the heart of competition? Science can help an athlete bend, or even break the rules. Genetic engineering may offer new performance enhancing drugs and therapies that will be undetectable. And do athletes from poorer countries stand any chance of competing on a level playing field when confronted by the high spending, hi-tech teams from the West?

Theatre of Dreams

In the 1900 Paris Olympics many events were held in the city's local parks. Now the games demands custom built facilities that are second to none.

Stadium Australia

A masterpiece of modern stadium design - but eco friendly too!

Technosport

Running computer operations for the World's biggest sporting event is the ultimate IT challenge.

The Aquatic Center

One of the most advanced swimming pools in the world.

Timekeeping

Electronic timing devices are making sure times are more accurate than ever before.

Green Games

Every care has been taken to make these the greenest games ever.

Ancient Greek athletes were flogged to make them train harder. Now its all down to scientific planning.

Body beautiful

Sports Science and the Athlete

The last few decades has seen huge advances in our understanding of how the body responds to exercise.

Drugs in Sport

The spectre that haunts all modern sport. Officials will now have to respond to the challenges of genetically engineered performance enhancement.

Sporting Achievement and Ethnic Background

Controversial theories claim that where you come from may affect your chances

Injury

>The athletes worst nightmare can now be treated with the latest in medical technology.

Muscles

The powerhouses of all sports competition. Could they ever be made artificially?

The latest kit is a must for all aspiring medal winners, but are snazzy new suits and trainers more hype than help?

Dressed for success

Comparing Like with Like

Are the pampered athletes of today as good as their low-tech predecessors?

Cycling

Cyclist have exploited technology more than any other sport, but have they gone too far?

Material World

All over body suits are de rigueur in the pool, but which design will the gold medal winners be wearing?

On the Track

No athlete would dream of running in simple vest and shorts. The latest in track wear is as much about fashion as performance.

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Physics, technology and the Olympics

What effect does technology have on the performance of athletes in sports such as the 100-metre sprint, the pole vault and the javelin? Ultimately, it seems that there is a conflict between the laws of physics and the laws of sport.

The modern Olympic games were founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1896, with the intention of improving health and education, promoting world peace, and encouraging fair and equal competition. However, the motto of the modern Olympic games - citius, altius, fortius (swifter, higher, stronger) - shows that it is not only the taking part that counts. Winning is just as important now as it was 2500 years ago at the original games in ancient Greece. Then, as now, winning athletes were treated like heroes, given seats for life at theatres and public gatherings, and awarded cash bonuses, gifts and prizes. It is no wonder, then, that athletes - both ancient and modern - have used any means at their disposal to improve the speeds at which they can run, the distances they can throw and the heights they can jump.

The Olympian's New Clothes

Drug use may be the most prominent controversy surrounding this summer's Olympic Games in Athens. But the second burning question concerns an entirely legal approach to getting the winning edge: namely, whether or not form-fitting fast-suits made from high-tech fabrics will decide which athletes bring home a medal. These new garments will be most visible in high profile events such as swimming, but rowers and cyclists are sporting them as well. Although to the casual observer the suits might bring to mind costumes for the next Spiderman movie, they are less about good looks and more about their ability to reduce drag and thereby increase speed. In events in which the difference between gold and bronze is measured in tenths of a second, the fast suit an athlete wears may be the difference between winning a medal or not.

Manufacturers have devoted considerable energy to developing various approaches to reducing drag. Nowhere is this competition more intense than in swimming. These days, anyone who shows up at the pool in a pair of tiny trunks is a loser. Fast suits are de rigueur. Speedo, Tyr and Nike all produce them but the big battle will be between the two market leaders, Speedo and Tyr, because both companies have adopted different approaches to moving through water quickly.