SPORT SCIENCE & MEDICINE FINDING COMPETITIVE EDGE FOR LONDON

by Rebecca Roberts - 27.07.10

With the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games fast approaching on the 27th July and 27th August respectively, the English Institute of Sport (EIS) are looking at how sport science and medicine will be working to keep athletes injury free and performing at the top of their game.

It’s estimated that in the two years leading up to the London 2012 Games, the EIS will have delivered approximately 409,208 hours of sport science and medical support services to Olympic and Paralympic athletes at EIS High Performance Centres across England.

Dr Ken van Someren, Director of Sport Science at the EIS believes the experience of practitioners who work as part of the multidisciplinary structure is a key attribute to delivering performance-impacting support.

“The breadth of expertise the EIS has across sport science disciplines aims to continually search for the understanding of the performance factors of specific sports and individual athletes.

“Being able to deliver sport science focused on improving world class programmes across sports to coaches, athletes and other members of the support team is a key component of competitive advantage” he adds.

Dr Rod Jaques, Director of Medical Services at the EIS adds; “Our understanding of the medical demands of elite sport has continued to grow richer as we work with an increasing breadth of athletes as well as employ a diversity of expertise at the EIS.

“Whilst the EIS can play an important role when athletes are injured in their return to training and competition, our role in preventing injuries and understanding where pre-habilitation can play its role is an important step forward in the role sport medicine is having in elite sport” he adds.

With the London Games in 2012 also marking the 10th anniversary of the EIS, the infrastructure and knowledge base across the organisation will aim to foster future cycles of talented athletes.

“We know that sport science and medicine can positively improve performances” says EIS Chairman Steve Cram.

“Success is not by chance in elite sport. The hours put in behind the scenes by athletes, coaches and support staff at the EIS makes up the rich and complex formula which sports and individual athletes require to make it as a world champion.

“We’ve continued to search for excellence in the way we work to keep at the forefront of sport science and medicine in elite sport and internationally we know that the competition is increasingly looking to how British athletes are consistently performing and using our expertise to get the edge” he adds.

British Taekwondo Performance Director Gary Hall says, “As well as the sport specific training it’s important that the right sport science and medical expertise can add to athletes’ training. The EIS team here in Manchester play an important part in the British Taekwondo squad’s preparation both in training and competition.”

British Boxing Head Coach Rob McCracken says, “It’s important that we stay ahead of the competition and keep moving forward with our GB boxing programme at our base at EIS Sheffield. The range of EIS sport science and medicine expertise we use as part of our programme play a key part in delivering that edge which will be key to keep ahead in 2012.”

British Triathlon Performance Director Heather Williams says, “Ensuring that athletes have the best preparation for the London Games is crucial. Not only do we need the best coaches but also the best support staff who help our athletes keep at the top of the sport. EIS practitioners from the Loughborough EIS site, as well as others around the network, will play an important role in ensuring our Podium and Development athletes are the best prepared to perform on home soil in 2012.”

Archery GB’s Performance Director Sara Symington says, “The next two years require a great deal of commitment and focus from our athletes, coaching staff and support team in order that our squad performs in 2012. Sport science and medical support services from the EIS will play an important role in the development and delivery of our competitive edge.”

GB Hockey’s Performance Director, David Faulkner, says, “The next two years will prove important building blocks for our men’s and women’s performance programmes in GB Hockey. Having a leading support team around our programme is key to performing against the best in the world and the EIS in Bisham have worked with us to customise their services to ensure they deliver what our athletes and coaches require from sport science and medicine and we’re already seeing some great developments come out of this ongoing partnership.”

Pentathlon GB’s Performance Director Jan Bartu says, “As we continue to make progress on the international stage leading into the London 2012 Games, we must ensure every aspect of our performance programme impacts positively on performance. EIS support services in Bath play their part in improving areas of our programme to deliver performances when it matters and over the next two years will help in our search to build the best system to foster our athletes.”

Graham Watts, Performance Director of British Fencing says; “As the countdown to 2012 continues, so does our search to keep our squad progressing on the international stage. Having the right coaches and support staff around our athletes are vital components to our programme and the EIS practitioners we work with in London are an important part of our team.”

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