Exercise Science lecturer Dr Brendyn Appleby has been the strength and conditioning coach with the Olympic Men's Hockey Squad for three Olympics. He reflects on how exercise and sport science supported the 2024 team in Paris.

The Paris Olympics may long be regarded as one of the best.  Certainly, watching on television, the iconic locations and personal stories of triumph and adversity were inspiring.  Further, the Australian Olympic Team had one of its most successful games.  However, in the background were a tireless group of dedicated Australian sport science staff that very few heard about who did everything they could to give athletes the best chance of being their best.

Over 450 athletes from 33 sports represented Australia at the Paris Games.  It is logistically impossible for these athletes to maintain their usual support systems at a time when they need them the most.  Years of hard work and dedication culminate in an intense period of competition where the margins are agonisingly small.  Stepping into these support roles are tireless exercise and sport science experts from the national system.  Nutrition, recovery exercise physiology and strength and conditioning staff ensured all athletes were well taken care of.  

Nutrition staff provided breakfast and lunch to athletes, plus recovery food and eskies for the long travel between venues.  Exercise physiology staff installed and ran a temporary recovery area featuring 8 ice baths, recovery boots and a stretching area.  An outstanding gym that could train up to 20 athletes at a time was staffed by strength and conditioning coaches from the national system who liaised with coaches in Australia who could not attend.  These are just the duties observed and do not capture the months of planning and communication between various organisations (such as special dietary needs, sleep and travel routines or equipment delivery and installation).

The ability to have these three areas meant athletes did not have to queue at the dining hall (with 100’s of other athletes), were able to maintain individualised nutrition plans (which could be required at any time of the day due to competition schedules), could utilise recovery facilities until late in the evening (or early morning in some cases) and be assured of a weight training session rather than compete for space in the very popular athlete village gym.  

These staff were highly experienced, domain experts (with a few PhD’s in nutrition or exercise physiology).  However, their most important quality (in my opinion) is the work ethic and desire to help.  Having spent more time in the village than most (there before the games to set-up their areas, and last to leave having to pack up), they also saw the least sport of anyone, catching only a few minutes of television broadcast.  Imagine being in Paris for four weeks at the Olympics and not seeing a single sport!  Putting the athletes before themself, they demonstrated work ethic, humility and team work so that our athletes could perform at their best.

Exercise and sport science is a degree of enormous variety and potential.  From community athletes to the Olympics, there are roles for everyone who use exercise to help people be their best.