Smart approach taken to boost sporting prowess

Since 2008, when a national scientific research team was formed to help athletes competing at the Beijing Olympics, China has attached great importance to the role played by sports science.

Many sports colleges and research institutes in China provided scientific and technological support for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Thanks to technological development, cutting-edge portable devices with a higher level of accuracy were available.

In 2019, the Shanghai Institute of Sports Science, in cooperation with domestic universities, suggested improvements for the fabric used to make the skintight sports suits worn by Olympic cyclists. The institute also used a wind tunnel and experiments to analyze the drag reduction effect of this clothing.

Meanwhile, a smart training system is being used by the national rowing team, recording the athletes' real-time movements, physical condition, and analyzing data to improve their movements, strength and stability.

The athletes' caloric intake at meals is monitored by a smart plate, which controls nutrition.

Zhu Qian, laboratory director at Fudan University's School of Information Science and Engineering, led a science team to support windsurfing competitors at Tokyo 2020.

In July and August 2019, the team conducted field research at Enoshima, a small island in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, a year ahead of the originally scheduled Tokyo Games. The team analyzed hydrologic conditions and provided reports predicting wind and water conditions.

Zhu said: "We analyzed the water surface wind speed and direction data, along with seawater velocity and flow direction at different locations. It's nothing like weather forecasting, as there is no effective way to accurately predict a change in wind and water flow every 50 meters at sea."

To ensure the analysis and predictions were as accurate as possible, Zhu's team used the lunar calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar for its data collection plans. Zhu said this method helped the team with astronomical tide patterns, which have a major impact on seawater levels and other conditions in windsurfing.