Brits plan to keep ice cool in Olympic heat

Sport scientists consult military over heat combat tactics  

The region's Olympic hopefuls will be keeping cool under pressure after sports bosses revealed plans to combat the heat of Beijing.

Boffins working for the British Olympic Association (BOA) and UK Sport have pinpointed heat and humidity as the greatest threat to our athletes bringing home gold.

Bedford athlete Paula Radcliffe - the gold medal favourite in the 2004 Athens Olympic marathon  - failed to finish her race as she succumbed to exhaustion.

Sport chiefs have consulted with military experts in desert and jungle warfare to create a strategy tailored to each individual competitor.

For some athletes, that will mean 'pre-cooling' before events and wearing ice vests just beforehand. For others, the measures are being kept secret to avoid giving an advantage to their rivals.

UK Sport's research and innovation consultant Dr Scott Drawer said: "We have consulted experts from the aerospace industry and the military, and have learned a lot from what they have done for troops in various extreme environments.

"Many sports already have their own strategy for dealing with environmental affects, and what we try to do is help understand and look at strategies around cooling and hydration."

Among the competitors who could benefit from the cool approach are Paula Radcliffe - currently battling injury, Essex Decathelete Dean Macey, Marathon runner Liz Yelling and swim veteran Mark Foster 

¹ See more from the region's athletes in Road to Beijing 

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