Fitness First for Olympic Team@AOC
The Fitness First Recovery Centre facilities in Beijing include:
- 25 metre pool for standard pool recovery, rehabilitation, water running, swimming, and water polo drills.
- Cold water immersion area
- Strength and Conditioning / stretching area
- Massage
- Nutrition Bar
- Relaxation / Video / Music / Media area
- State-of-art exercise machines / equipment / fully equipped gym facilities.
28 December 2007
AOC preparation for Beijing Olympics
Looking for an Edge in Beijing@AOC
An illustrious panel of medical and sports science specialists gathered in Sydney in November to share their knowledge on heat & humidity, air quality, health and hygiene with representatives from all Olympic sports to assist Australian athletes have an edge in August 2008.
August temperatures in Beijing are generally above thirty degrees Celsius with humidity around 50 percent.
Matt Brearly from the Northern Territory Institute of Sport NTIS spoke on acclimitisation and monitoring athletes’ core body temperatures.
Brearly traveled to Beijing with the Australian Hockey teams in August this year for their test events. The athletes took capsules to record their core body temperature. The use of baths, cooling jackets and other procedures were all tested.
Brearly stressed the importance of using the Australian summer to test procedures in the lead up to the Games. He also explained that a minimum of seven days was required to physiologically acclimatise to conditions but mentally it could take longer depending on the individual athletes.
As well as acclimatisation plans the testing of sweat levels, hydration requirements and exercise induced asthma were all discussed.
Training in the morning would also be beneficial in Beijing.
An illustrious panel of medical and sports science specialists gathered in Sydney in November to share their knowledge on heat & humidity, air quality, health and hygiene with representatives from all Olympic sports to assist Australian athletes have an edge in August 2008.
August temperatures in Beijing are generally above thirty degrees Celsius with humidity around 50 percent.
Matt Brearly from the Northern Territory Institute of Sport NTIS spoke on acclimitisation and monitoring athletes’ core body temperatures.
Brearly traveled to Beijing with the Australian Hockey teams in August this year for their test events. The athletes took capsules to record their core body temperature. The use of baths, cooling jackets and other procedures were all tested.
Brearly stressed the importance of using the Australian summer to test procedures in the lead up to the Games. He also explained that a minimum of seven days was required to physiologically acclimatise to conditions but mentally it could take longer depending on the individual athletes.
As well as acclimatisation plans the testing of sweat levels, hydration requirements and exercise induced asthma were all discussed.
Training in the morning would also be beneficial in Beijing.
Singapore talent ID and development programme
4 new sports academies to identify, develop talents from primary school@CNA
SINGAPORE : In a boost for sports in Singapore, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said it will start identifying and developing talented athletes at an early stage - at primary 5 and 6 levels.
Those selected will then be trained in four new Junior Sports Academies which will be set up by next year.
The MOE said the move is essential for long-term success. However, it acknowledged that such talent-spotting should not be limiting, especially when young ones are concerned.
The Minister of State for Education, Lui Tuck Yew, said: "We will identify two groups of athletes, with the first group comprising athletes who are already excelling in their respective sports and the second group are those who may not necessarily play the sport, but are deemed to have the potential to do well in it.
"A multi-pronged approach based on competition results, scouting, nomination by schools and NAPFA Test results will be used to identify the athletes for the selection trials."
These students will then be trained at four centralised Junior Sports Academies, housed in selected schools islandwide.
For a start, there will be four such academies per zone - the academies for netball, swimming, table-tennis, track & field at the Singapore Sports School in the north, a table-tennis academy at the Singapore Table-Tennis Association in the south, a wushu academy at Chung Cheng High Main in the eastern part of Singapore and a badminton academy at Henry Park Primary School in the west.
280 students will attend these academies next year. Of these, the first selection for the wushu and badminton academies has already been made.
"They will have the privilege of receiving expertise from professional coaches... Primary school students from various parts of Singapore will be able to receive quality training," said Ng Teng Joo, principal of Henry Park Primary School.
There will be two to four training sessions each week at the Junior Sports Academies outside of school hours, depending on the sport chosen. Each training session will last about two hours.
To prevent any sort of conflict, a sports manager will be appointed to ensure that there's a fine balance between the sporting and academic development of these selected students.
This pilot scheme comes under a new Talent Development Framework. If the pilot scheme works, more academies catering to more sports could eventually be set up.
The MOE said it is looking at as many as 16 academies for an estimated 1,000 athletes in primary 5 and 6.
SINGAPORE : In a boost for sports in Singapore, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said it will start identifying and developing talented athletes at an early stage - at primary 5 and 6 levels.
Those selected will then be trained in four new Junior Sports Academies which will be set up by next year.
The MOE said the move is essential for long-term success. However, it acknowledged that such talent-spotting should not be limiting, especially when young ones are concerned.
The Minister of State for Education, Lui Tuck Yew, said: "We will identify two groups of athletes, with the first group comprising athletes who are already excelling in their respective sports and the second group are those who may not necessarily play the sport, but are deemed to have the potential to do well in it.
"A multi-pronged approach based on competition results, scouting, nomination by schools and NAPFA Test results will be used to identify the athletes for the selection trials."
These students will then be trained at four centralised Junior Sports Academies, housed in selected schools islandwide.
For a start, there will be four such academies per zone - the academies for netball, swimming, table-tennis, track & field at the Singapore Sports School in the north, a table-tennis academy at the Singapore Table-Tennis Association in the south, a wushu academy at Chung Cheng High Main in the eastern part of Singapore and a badminton academy at Henry Park Primary School in the west.
280 students will attend these academies next year. Of these, the first selection for the wushu and badminton academies has already been made.
"They will have the privilege of receiving expertise from professional coaches... Primary school students from various parts of Singapore will be able to receive quality training," said Ng Teng Joo, principal of Henry Park Primary School.
There will be two to four training sessions each week at the Junior Sports Academies outside of school hours, depending on the sport chosen. Each training session will last about two hours.
To prevent any sort of conflict, a sports manager will be appointed to ensure that there's a fine balance between the sporting and academic development of these selected students.
This pilot scheme comes under a new Talent Development Framework. If the pilot scheme works, more academies catering to more sports could eventually be set up.
The MOE said it is looking at as many as 16 academies for an estimated 1,000 athletes in primary 5 and 6.
2 major sporting events for Singapore in 2008
2008 to be a busy year for sports in Singapore@CNA
The Singapore F1 Grand Prix will be the world's first night street race and work has already begun on all fronts – from track layout to ticketing and hospitality.
Another widely-anticipated event in 2008 is the announcement of the winning bid for the new sports hub, which will replace the National Stadium.
The Singapore F1 Grand Prix will be the world's first night street race and work has already begun on all fronts – from track layout to ticketing and hospitality.
Another widely-anticipated event in 2008 is the announcement of the winning bid for the new sports hub, which will replace the National Stadium.
30 November 2007
Britain's plan for Beijing Olympics: Macau holding camp
PLANNING FOR THE BIGGEST EVENT OF ALL@EIS
In the lead up to Beijing next year, there will be a multisport holding camp in Macau with most of Britain’s Olympic sports including Hockey, Judo, Archery and Athletics based there. However some sports have different training requirements, so we arrange slightly different bases for them.
For example, Equestrian only move their horses once, so they will go straight to Hong Kong, where their competition is taking place and be with their horses for the whole duration. Triathlon will be based in JeJu Island, in South Korea so they can get the right cycle training facilities, as well as the swimming and running. Rowing and Canoe Slalom will actually be doing their final preparation training on the Olympic Competition Venues, so they will have their Holding Camp based around those sites.
Flying the athletes to the holding camps at least 7 days before the Games will help give them enough time to recover from the travel. For athletes based in Macau, the flight to Beijing is only 3hours and in the afternoon, so should have very little impact.
In the lead up to Beijing next year, there will be a multisport holding camp in Macau with most of Britain’s Olympic sports including Hockey, Judo, Archery and Athletics based there. However some sports have different training requirements, so we arrange slightly different bases for them.
For example, Equestrian only move their horses once, so they will go straight to Hong Kong, where their competition is taking place and be with their horses for the whole duration. Triathlon will be based in JeJu Island, in South Korea so they can get the right cycle training facilities, as well as the swimming and running. Rowing and Canoe Slalom will actually be doing their final preparation training on the Olympic Competition Venues, so they will have their Holding Camp based around those sites.
Flying the athletes to the holding camps at least 7 days before the Games will help give them enough time to recover from the travel. For athletes based in Macau, the flight to Beijing is only 3hours and in the afternoon, so should have very little impact.
26 November 2007
NZ high performance funding
SPARC Announces $4.9 Million Investment In High Performance Sport@SPARC
SPARC (Sport & Recreation New Zealand) today announced that it will invest $4.9 million in the high performance projects of 15 different sports in 2008 and beyond.
SPARC invests an additional $11 million in the high performance programmes of nine targeted sports. Those sports include cycling, rowing, swimming and athletics, among others.
SPARC (Sport & Recreation New Zealand) today announced that it will invest $4.9 million in the high performance projects of 15 different sports in 2008 and beyond.
SPARC invests an additional $11 million in the high performance programmes of nine targeted sports. Those sports include cycling, rowing, swimming and athletics, among others.
14 November 2007
European training centre for Australian athletes
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has signed a formal agreement with the Varese Provincial Government to finalise a contract for the construction of a European Training Centre (ETC) for Australian athletes@sports vine
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has signed a formal agreement with the Varese Provincial Government to finalise a contract for the construction of a European Training Centre (ETC) for Australian athletes.
The Centre will be used by Australian athletes and teams in preparing for elite competition like the 2012 London Olympics.
The Australian Government, through the Australian Sports Commission, has committed $11million towards the establishment and operation of the European Training Centre at Gavirate, on the shores of Lake Varese in northern Italy.
This will provide AIS and Australian athletes with access to the same world's best Australian sports science and sports medicine advice and services that they currently enjoy in Australia.
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has signed a formal agreement with the Varese Provincial Government to finalise a contract for the construction of a European Training Centre (ETC) for Australian athletes.
The Centre will be used by Australian athletes and teams in preparing for elite competition like the 2012 London Olympics.
The Australian Government, through the Australian Sports Commission, has committed $11million towards the establishment and operation of the European Training Centre at Gavirate, on the shores of Lake Varese in northern Italy.
This will provide AIS and Australian athletes with access to the same world's best Australian sports science and sports medicine advice and services that they currently enjoy in Australia.
10 November 2007
physical exercise or brain exercise?
Exercise on the Brain@NYT
One form of training has been shown to maintain and improve brain health — physical exercise. In humans, exercise improves what scientists call “executive function,” the set of abilities that allows you to select behavior that’s appropriate to the situation, inhibit inappropriate behavior and focus on the job at hand in spite of distractions. Executive function includes basic functions like processing speed, response speed and working memory, the type used to remember a house number while walking from the car to a party.
One form of training has been shown to maintain and improve brain health — physical exercise. In humans, exercise improves what scientists call “executive function,” the set of abilities that allows you to select behavior that’s appropriate to the situation, inhibit inappropriate behavior and focus on the job at hand in spite of distractions. Executive function includes basic functions like processing speed, response speed and working memory, the type used to remember a house number while walking from the car to a party.
31 October 2007
World Cup Swimming @ Singapore
Over the last weekend, I was supporting Singapore national swimmers for FINA/ARENA World Cup Swimming held in our school. We did post-race lactate recovery testing for the swimmers to find out whether their cool down was sufficient for them to prepare for next events.
22 October 2007
keywords of Beijing preparation of UK team
PLANNING AND PREPARATION KEY@EIS
*smog and pollution
*travel and cultural differences
*morning finals for the swimmers
*smog and pollution
*travel and cultural differences
*morning finals for the swimmers
16 October 2007
Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010 website
Singapore's Youth Olympic Games Committee launches logo, website@CNA
Singapore is cranking up the publicity for its bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
With less than ten days left before the official bid document is submitted on 26 October, a website and logo were unveiled on Tuesday to rally the whole nation to support the bid.
One of the ways to reach out to Singaporeans at home and abroad is through a video, which showcases Singapore's vibrancy and diversity, on popular website YouTube.
official website
Singapore is cranking up the publicity for its bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
With less than ten days left before the official bid document is submitted on 26 October, a website and logo were unveiled on Tuesday to rally the whole nation to support the bid.
One of the ways to reach out to Singaporeans at home and abroad is through a video, which showcases Singapore's vibrancy and diversity, on popular website YouTube.
official website
10 October 2007
we will have a new principal at Singapore Sports School
RGS principal appointed as new head of Singapore Sports School@CNA
Raffles Girls' Secondary School principal Mrs Deborah Tan has been appointed the new head of the Singapore Sports School, effective January 1 next year.
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports said the 48-year-old is a keen sportswoman, who represented Raffles Girls' combined schools and the National University of Singapore in softball during her school days.
The current Sports School principal Mr Moo Soon Chong will remain as consultant until his retirement next April.
Raffles Girls' Secondary School principal Mrs Deborah Tan has been appointed the new head of the Singapore Sports School, effective January 1 next year.
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports said the 48-year-old is a keen sportswoman, who represented Raffles Girls' combined schools and the National University of Singapore in softball during her school days.
The current Sports School principal Mr Moo Soon Chong will remain as consultant until his retirement next April.
from youth development to high performance at Singapore Sports School
SBA to move headquarters to Singapore Sports School@CNA
The Singapore Sports School's Badminton Academy ensures a higher level of coaching and development, and offers the best shuttlers a smooth transition into the national youth and senior squads. Sports School students will also benefit by training with the national players.
Dr Balakrishnan added the SBA is developing plans to place more emphasis on youth development by training a select team to prepare for the inaugural Youth Olympics Games in 2010.
The Singapore Sports School's Badminton Academy ensures a higher level of coaching and development, and offers the best shuttlers a smooth transition into the national youth and senior squads. Sports School students will also benefit by training with the national players.
Dr Balakrishnan added the SBA is developing plans to place more emphasis on youth development by training a select team to prepare for the inaugural Youth Olympics Games in 2010.
08 October 2007
Australia will bring over 70 medical staff in Beijing Olympics
Medical team to give Australia the 'edge'@AOC
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) will take over 70 medical specialists to next year’s Olympics in Beijing. Their intention…. to provide the best possible health care for the Australia’s athletes and give our Team the edge over the opposition.
Particular emphasis will be placed on providing the best methods to cope with heat stress and respiratory problems during competition.
To compliment the medical strategy the AOC has also leased a Beijing school where they will establish a recovery centre with swimming pools, ice baths, massage and full gym facilities.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) will take over 70 medical specialists to next year’s Olympics in Beijing. Their intention…. to provide the best possible health care for the Australia’s athletes and give our Team the edge over the opposition.
Particular emphasis will be placed on providing the best methods to cope with heat stress and respiratory problems during competition.
To compliment the medical strategy the AOC has also leased a Beijing school where they will establish a recovery centre with swimming pools, ice baths, massage and full gym facilities.
05 October 2007
04 October 2007
UK Sport podcast
Olympic legend stars in first UK Sport podcast
Double Olympic champion Edwin Moses, British taekwondo star Sarah Stevenson and Chelsea Warr, architect of the Sporting Giants Talent Identification Scheme, all feature in the first UK Sport Podcast which is published today. The Podcast is the latest exciting development in UK Sport’s web-based communications strategy.
Double Olympic champion Edwin Moses, British taekwondo star Sarah Stevenson and Chelsea Warr, architect of the Sporting Giants Talent Identification Scheme, all feature in the first UK Sport Podcast which is published today. The Podcast is the latest exciting development in UK Sport’s web-based communications strategy.
28 September 2007
BASES position stand on genetic research and testing
Scientists Highlight Benefits Of Genetic Research In Sport, But Warn Of Ethical Concerns, UK@medical news today
Genetic research into athletic ability should be encouraged for its potential benefits in both sport and public health, a leading group of scientists meeting at the University of Bath said recently.
They highlight two dangers of genetic performance tests. Firstly, genetic performance tests might later be linked to disease. For example, a muscle growth gene may later be linked to cancer growth.
Secondly, genetic performance tests can be performed even before birth and this may lead to the selection of foetuses or to abortions based on athletic potential.
The report recommends that genetic testing should be used for anti-doping testing as long as the genetic samples are destroyed after testing.
Click here to read the executive summary or the whole position stand
Genetic research into athletic ability should be encouraged for its potential benefits in both sport and public health, a leading group of scientists meeting at the University of Bath said recently.
They highlight two dangers of genetic performance tests. Firstly, genetic performance tests might later be linked to disease. For example, a muscle growth gene may later be linked to cancer growth.
Secondly, genetic performance tests can be performed even before birth and this may lead to the selection of foetuses or to abortions based on athletic potential.
The report recommends that genetic testing should be used for anti-doping testing as long as the genetic samples are destroyed after testing.
Click here to read the executive summary or the whole position stand
technology development for coaches
Advanced Technologies Aim to Transform the Coaching of Top Athletes@EPSRC
The SESAME (Sensing for Sport and Managed Exercise) project is developing innovative video and body sensor technologies designed to aid the training of both novice and elite athletes. The aim is to combine these technologies into a unique, integrated computer system that substantially increases the quantity and variety of data available to coaches during training sessions.
The system will produce simultaneous shots from multiple video cameras located in different positions that can autonomously track a moving athlete and then transmit pictures to the coach for near-instant, slow motion replay.
In addition, the project is developing on-body sensors that will use small, low-power electronics which exploit recent advances in wireless communications to collect data about arm angle, knee lift, body lean etc.
The 4-year SESAME initiative is due to run until 2010 and received EPSRC funding of £2,910,272.
The SESAME (Sensing for Sport and Managed Exercise) project is developing innovative video and body sensor technologies designed to aid the training of both novice and elite athletes. The aim is to combine these technologies into a unique, integrated computer system that substantially increases the quantity and variety of data available to coaches during training sessions.
The system will produce simultaneous shots from multiple video cameras located in different positions that can autonomously track a moving athlete and then transmit pictures to the coach for near-instant, slow motion replay.
In addition, the project is developing on-body sensors that will use small, low-power electronics which exploit recent advances in wireless communications to collect data about arm angle, knee lift, body lean etc.
The 4-year SESAME initiative is due to run until 2010 and received EPSRC funding of £2,910,272.
15 September 2007
Singapore Coaches Day
Singapore Sports Council celebrates first Coaches Day@CNA
As coaches are integral to the success of athletes, Singapore has decided to celebrate these individuals on the second Friday of every September.
As coaches are integral to the success of athletes, Singapore has decided to celebrate these individuals on the second Friday of every September.
29 August 2007
link between exercise and intelligence
Lobes of Steel@New York Times
* Now an expanding body of research shows that exercise can improve the performance of the brain by boosting memory and cognitive processing speed. Exercise can, in fact, create a stronger, faster brain.
* This spring, neuroscientists at Columbia University in New York City published a study in which a group of men and women, ranging in age from 21 to 45, began working out for one hour four times a week. After 12 weeks, the test subjects, predictably, became more fit. Their VO2 max, the standard measure of how much oxygen a person takes in while exercising, rose significantly.
But something else happened as a result of all those workouts: blood flowed at a much higher volume to a part of the brain responsible for neurogenesis. Functional M.R.I.’s showed that a portion of each person’s hippocampus received almost twice the blood volume as it did before. Scientists suspect that the blood pumping into that part of the brain was helping to produce fresh neurons.
The Columbia study suggests that shrinkage to parts of the hippocampus can be slowed via exercise. The subjects showed significant improvements in memory, as measured by a word-recall test. Those with the biggest increases in VO2 max had the best scores of all.
* Other recent studies support this theory. At the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, a group of elderly sedentary people were assigned to either an aerobic exercise program or a regimen of stretching. (The aerobic group walked for at least one hour three times a week.) After six months, their brains were scanned using an M.R.I. Those who had been doing aerobic exercise showed significant growth in several areas of the brain. These results raise the hope that the human brain has the capacity not only to produce new cells but also to add new blood vessels and strengthen neural connections, allowing young neurons to integrate themselves into the wider neural network. “The current findings are the first, to our knowledge, to confirm the benefits of exercise training on brain volume in aging humans,” the authors concluded.
* Other University of Illinois scientists have studied school-age children and found that those who have a higher level of aerobic fitness processed information more efficiently; they were quicker on a battery of computerized flashcard tests. The researchers also found that higher levels of aerobic fitness corresponded to better standardized test scores among a set of Illinois public school students. The scientists next plan to study how students’ scores change as their fitness improves.
* Now an expanding body of research shows that exercise can improve the performance of the brain by boosting memory and cognitive processing speed. Exercise can, in fact, create a stronger, faster brain.
* This spring, neuroscientists at Columbia University in New York City published a study in which a group of men and women, ranging in age from 21 to 45, began working out for one hour four times a week. After 12 weeks, the test subjects, predictably, became more fit. Their VO2 max, the standard measure of how much oxygen a person takes in while exercising, rose significantly.
But something else happened as a result of all those workouts: blood flowed at a much higher volume to a part of the brain responsible for neurogenesis. Functional M.R.I.’s showed that a portion of each person’s hippocampus received almost twice the blood volume as it did before. Scientists suspect that the blood pumping into that part of the brain was helping to produce fresh neurons.
The Columbia study suggests that shrinkage to parts of the hippocampus can be slowed via exercise. The subjects showed significant improvements in memory, as measured by a word-recall test. Those with the biggest increases in VO2 max had the best scores of all.
* Other recent studies support this theory. At the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, a group of elderly sedentary people were assigned to either an aerobic exercise program or a regimen of stretching. (The aerobic group walked for at least one hour three times a week.) After six months, their brains were scanned using an M.R.I. Those who had been doing aerobic exercise showed significant growth in several areas of the brain. These results raise the hope that the human brain has the capacity not only to produce new cells but also to add new blood vessels and strengthen neural connections, allowing young neurons to integrate themselves into the wider neural network. “The current findings are the first, to our knowledge, to confirm the benefits of exercise training on brain volume in aging humans,” the authors concluded.
* Other University of Illinois scientists have studied school-age children and found that those who have a higher level of aerobic fitness processed information more efficiently; they were quicker on a battery of computerized flashcard tests. The researchers also found that higher levels of aerobic fitness corresponded to better standardized test scores among a set of Illinois public school students. The scientists next plan to study how students’ scores change as their fitness improves.
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