29 July 2008

renewed IOC website

International Olympic Committee Unveils the Ultimate Olympic Reference@IOC

On Monday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) unveiled a dramatically improved web site, with new interactive games, Flash animation, videos of highlights and other features that make it a one-stop source for information on the Olympic Games.

23 July 2008

Singapore-based training camp before Beijing Olympics

32 teams from 22 countries to train in S'pore ahead of Beijing Olympics@CNA

It will be a mini-Olympics of sorts in Singapore ahead of the Beijing Games. That's because 32 teams from 22 countries will use the island as a training base for 10 sports in preparation for the Olympics.

Singapore was selected because of its good infrastructure, similar weather and time zone to the Chinese capital.

The New Zealand women's football team is just one of the squads to make Singapore its base for their final preparations before the big Games.

They will be joined by top teams, like the US swimmers, which last year sent their junior team to check out the scene here.

And some will also be here to compete, like the water polo teams from nine nations, playing in the Pre-Olympics Water Polo Invitational in early August.

16 July 2008

UK FA talent transfer programme

pitch2podium@UK Sport

Pitch2Podium is a new and exciting programme created by UK Sport, the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and our partners within the football authorities (Football Association, Professional Footballers’ Association, Premier League and Premier League Learning, The Football League, and League Football Education).

The aim of the programme is to provide young footballers who have been unsuccessful in securing a professional football contract, with a second chance opportunity to succeed in a new Olympic sport.

The assessment event, by design will be fun, competitive and will include the following:
- Anthropometrics (height, weight, arm span, sitting height)
- Dynamic Strength (dyno leg press / arm pull)
- Power (vertical jump, stationary sprint bike tests)
- Speed (5, 10 and 20m sprints)
- Endurance (multistage stage fitness test)
- Skill (sport specific motor coordination)

last stage of preparation for Beijing Olympics

Bright idea@Straits Times

Olympics-Singapore swimmer uses hi-tech method to dazzle@Reuters

09 July 2008

salivary IgA is the key of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI)

Saliva holds the key to reducing upper respiratory illness in athletes@Loughborough Uni

The study involved 38 athletes from the prestigious America’s Cup yacht race

The study was carried out over 50 weeks and subjects were from a top yacht crew preparing for the 32nd America’s Cup (2007). Athletes provided weekly saliva samples and rated their level of fatigue, while their sailing and training load and any respiratory illnesses and infections were also recorded.

Results showed that levels of the saliva protein declined in the weeks prior to infection, and as a group the lower the level of IgA the greater the risk of illness. When IgA levels dropped below 40% of the normal value, athletes had a one in two chance of infection. Low levels of IgA also corresponded with high levels of fatigue, identified by the athletes.

UK Centre for Coaching Excellence will be open

UK Centre for Coaching Excellence to open at Leeds Metropolitan University@UK Sport

The Centre will be the first of its kind in the United Kingdom and will benefit up-and-coming coaches in a wide range of sports to help them reach the top and help drive a legacy of sporting success for British athletes.

The Centre will focus on four areas of development:
* High Performance: for coaches of athletes capable of achieving success at international level
* Performer Development: for coaches that will focus on talent identification and development of young athletes
* Participation: for coaches working in community sport, helping to increase sport participation
* Children’s coaches: for coaches that will work specifically with young people at each stage of their early development in sport.