Making the Olympic Start Line
The performances at London 2012 thrilled a nation but what factors influenced those athletes development during childhood and adolescence to ensure they reached the Olympic starting line?. On Friday 9th November an event hosted by the University of Birmingham's School of Sport and Exercise Sciences will ask how experiences during the early years can help or hinder an individual's chances of attaining elite performance and or simply enjoying lifelong participation in physical activity. One key area for discussion will be how our individual opportunities are influenced by family, schooling and coaching, and why this means some people never even enter the 'race' to make the Olympics start line. Matt Bridge who is leading the event explains: " At the London Olympic Games we saw world leading performances from athletes from around the globe. Behind each leading athlete were support systems that applied the very latest scientific knowledge to elite sporting achievement. However what we don't often consider is how these athletes got there. What things influenced their development during childhood and adolescence? We know that experiences during a person's early years can affect their chances of sporting success.
