EIS Media Guide - Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010

EIS Media Guide XIX Commonwealth Games – Delhi 2010

www.eis2win.co.uk

CONTENTS The Commonwealth Games About the English Institute of Sport EIS Delivery at the Games Prevention better than cure – Sport Medicine Team Psychology Balancing Act – Performance Lifestyle From the UK to Delhi Peaking & Tapering For all media requests around EIS Sport Science & Medical support around the Commonwealth Games please contact: Rebecca Roberts, PR & Communications Manager, Rebecca.roberts@eis2win.co.uk +0044 (0)7899 064352 For all requests around content on the EIS website, please contact: James Skitt, Web Editor, james.skitt@eis2win.co.uk For all requests around public affairs please contact: Hester Brierley, Head of Marketing & Communications, hester.brierley@eis2win.co.uk

The Commonwealth Games The idea of the “Commonwealth Games” can be traced back to 1891, with the Rev. Astly Cooper of England suggesting in two articles that a “PanBritannic-Pan Anglican Contest and Festival...every four years as a means of increasing the goodwill and good understanding of the Empire”.

The first format of the Games took place in 1911 with the “Inter-Empire Championships” taking place at the “Festival of Empire” in London with teams from Australia, Canada, South Africa and the UK competing in Athletics, Boxing, Swimming and Wrestling.

After the Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920 and Paris in 1924, track and field events between the British Empire and the USA were held in London but it wasn‟t until after the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam that the first practical steps were taken to organise the British Empire Games.

Canadian Mr M. M. (Bobby) Robinson called a meeting of representatives of all Empire countries, with the first event then held in 1930 in Hamilton Canada.

Changing to the „British Empire and Commonwealth Games‟ in 1950, again in 1966 to the „British Commonwealth Games‟ and finally in 1974 to the „Commonwealth Games‟, with the international body becoming The Commonwealth Games Federation.

For more information about the history of the Commonwealth Games visit the WeAreEngland website here

Delhi 2010 The Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010 will see approx 8,500 athletes and officials take part in the following sports: Archery Aquatics Athletics Badminton Boxing Cycling Gymnastics Hockey

Lawn Bowls Squash Wrestling

Netball Table Tennis

Rugby 7s Tennis

In addition 15 events will be contested across four Para Sports.

Athletics Swimming Powerlifting

Shooting Weightlifting

Table Tennis

About the EIS The English Institute of Sport (EIS) works in partnership with sports to improve performances through the delivery of high quality sport science and medical support to elite athletes, through its nationwide network of expertise and facilities.

Under the leadership of Chairman Steve Cram MBE, the EIS Board and National Director Nigel Walker, our vision is to be the worldâ€&#x;s leading provider of performance-impacting sport science and sport medicine in elite sport.

The EIS, as provider of choice for sport science and medical services in England, works across Olympic and Paralympic summer and winter sports as well as English and professional sports.

Aiming to be the employer of choice for practitioners within sport science and medicine, the EIS is working to create a sustainable, quality assured support system.

THE EIS...

Employs over 250 staff across the country Delivers support out of 15 EIS High Performance Centres as well as a number of sport specific partner sites around England Works with almost 50 Olympic, Paralympic, English and Professional sports Supports approximately 1700 elite athletes Delivers on average 4000 hours of sport science and medicine each week

EIS & the Commonwealth Games The EIS works with 18 of the 21 Commonwealth Games sports on a regular basis back in England and has worked closely with Commonwealth Games England to integrate support services with sportsâ€&#x; preparation leading into and during the Games.

Approximately 25 practitioners from the EIS will be working at the preparation camps and the Games themselves, including Dr Mike Loosemore as Head Medic and Lynda Daley as Head Physiotherapist for the England team.

Leading into the games sport scientists and sport physicians from the EIS have worked closely with sportsâ€&#x; coaches, athletes and support teams to ensure strategies for coping with the demands of the event are in place, from travel and recovery, to nutrition and injury prevention.

Around the Commonwealth Games the EIS...

Has delivered an average of 2000 hours a week of Sport Science & Medical support to CWG sports over the past year.

The EIS has around 25 practitioners working at holding camps and/or the Games themselves Several practitioners will work as part of the CWG England support team,

Prevention Better Than Cure The EIS Sport Medicine service has targeted common elite sport injuries with a view to reducing the time out of competition and training.

Integrating coaching with sport medicine and physiotherapy alongside sport science services such as strength and conditioning, physiology and biomechanics, the EIS aims to develop robust athletes who are best prepared to compete in their sport on the international stage.

Research undertaken by the EIS and UK Sport into injuries and illnesses most commonly suffered by high performance athletes identified that; shoulder, knee and lumber back (lower spine) injuries and respiratory infections were the most common to occur.

Targeted training and further sport specific monitoring and research has been undertaken to best inform programmes and help athletes in their training. Read more here Pre-hab & Re-hab Examples Hockeyâ€&#x;s Richard Mantell came through a serious ankle injury in 2010 through rehab support at the EIS site in Bisham.

Boxingâ€&#x;s European campaign saw a full squad taken through from the holding camp due to preventative physiotherapy and medical care complimenting their training.

Squashâ€&#x;s Nick Matthews integrates strength and conditioning and physio as part of his programme, having bounced back as World Number 1 after a serious shoulder injury.

Team Psychology Working together as part of a team is often far more complex in high performance sport than it seems. Being able to create a shared vision, a cohesive unit and setting expectations, requires the right balance of personality, commitment and circumstance.

Part of the EIS Performance Psychology support across the sports it works has included areas such as Pressure Training and Team Psychology.

Watch an interview with EIS Performance Psychologist Tom Cross on his work with the England Women‟s Hockey Team here Mental Focus will be a key requirement for athletes going into the Games, read an article on how athletes will focus here

EIS Performance Psychologists to talk „Team Psychology‟ include: Simon Middlemas, working with Netball & Swimming Tom Cross, working with Hockey Pete Lindsey, working with Boxing Simon Drane, working with Badminton

Balancing Act Performance Lifestyle Performance Lifestyle is a personal coaching and mentoring service that supports athletes with their continued personal and professional development.

Delivered by over 20 professionally trained practitioners within the EIS, Performance Lifestyle works with over 1000 athletes to ensure that they develop the skills to cope with the demands of high performance sport, whilst developing a portfolio of transferable skills and experiences that will benefit their careers in the future.

In hockey, a number of athletes have developed work experience and placement opportunities to compliment their training, watch an interview with EIS Performance Lifestyle advisor Emma Mitchell on her work with Hockey, here. In swimming there are many athletes who require further education to work with their training and competition schedule. Read about one athletesâ€&#x; balancing act here.

EIS Performance Lifestyle Advisors working with CWG Sports include....

Emma Mitchell, working with Hockey Jane Mawdsley, working with Swimming Dan Salcedo, working with Boxing & Diving

From England to Delhi Travelling from England to Delhi involves a variety of physiological aspects which athletes will prepare for as part of their training programmes.

As well as advice from the Commonwealth Games England support team, many sports will be utilising strategies devised with their EIS support staff which they have tried and tested in training and competition over the past cycle.

To ensure athletes arrive fresh and perform to their best, they will have prepared acclimatisation strategies, devised techniques to minimise the impact of travel and planned what their hydration and recovery strategies look like.

Watch an interview with EIS Performance Nutritionist Mark Ellison on his work with the England Boxing squad here.

Examples of Sports Preparations for Delhi...

England Hockey squads trained at the Environmental Chamber in hot and humid conditions before travelling to Delhi England boxers have recovery strategies in place, tried and tested over the summer.

Peaking & Tapering The demands of international competition require careful planning and preparation in order that athletes „peak‟ at the optimal time.

Many athletes have talked about their competitive schedule and which competitions they‟re tapering towards. EIS Support Teams, including physiologists and strength and conditioning coaches, have worked alongside coaches and athletes to help plan training strategies for peaking and tapering.

Watch EIS Strength & Conditioning Coach Ian Pyper here talking about his work with the England Boxing team.

Read about EIS Strength & Conditioning Coach Barry Shillabeer and Physiologist Ben Hollis and their work with the swimming squad here.

Watch an interview with EIS Strength & Conditioning Coach Ian Pyper on his work with the England Boxing squad in preparation for the Games here.