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The science of sport

Top athletes know that they need to avoid dehydration to compete effectively. GlaxoSmithKline’s Lucozade Sport Science Academy is on hand to help.

The clue was in the street name. The Viale dei Gladiatori in a leafy Rome suburb gave an insight into battles past and present at the Foro Italico.

Inside the tennis centre, international Grand Slam players were preparing for a clay court showdown. But scratch beneath the crushed brick surface and you would discover that centuries ago, Romans with a passion for sport used the same venue for a primitive version of handball. Using a large, sturdy glove, the early players hit a ball against a wall in a game that evolved into racquetball and then into the tennis game enjoyed by millions around the world.

Since those early days, the game has evolved over the centuries and so has the application of science and technology as today’s top players strive to improve their performance.

In Rome in May during the Italian Open, while top-tier players went through arduous training sessions in the searing heat, in a small corner of the players’ locker room a team from GlaxoSmithKline was preparing to make its own contribution to the well being of some of the top players on the international tennis circuit.

Scientific studies have shown that fluid losses of as little as two per cent of body weight can have a negative impact on performance, so it is essential that players are correctly hydrated and fuelled throughout training and match play.

It is also vital that these supplements are contaminant-free products and do not contain World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) listed prohibited substances or compounds that can lead to positive findings.

Which is where a unique partnership between the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuit, and GSK’s Nutritional Health division comes in.

Working through the company’s Lucozade Sport Science Academy (LSSA), the scheme provides access to a secure supply of products as well as advice and assistance about hydration and rehydration techniques.

John Brewer, the director of LSSA, joined GSK in 2005 after 18 years in charge of the human performance centre at Lilleshall in Shropshire in the UK.

He understands the research and scientific elements of providing a sport service to elite athletes – but is also able to draw on his experience of running his own business to realise the importance of the commercial element to his job.

“We are uniquely positioned to be able to offer players safe and effective sports nutrition products as well as rigorous quality assurance and a testing programme to ensure purity of the products,” he said.

“GSK can use its scientific expertise to provide a secure and safe supply of products to top athletes as well as monitoring aspects of an individual player’s performance in order to be able to provide advice and education on hydration and rehydration techniques.”

In the players’ locker room, John and his LSSA colleague, Nick Morgan, work with players to set up hydration testing. Before a practice session, they place four small sweat patches on the player’s body. The volunteers are weighed before and after practice sessions, urine samples are taken and the amount of fluid they drink during the session is monitored.

The samples and patches are sent to a UK laboratory for analysis and, two weeks later, the players receive a report showing how much fluid and salt they have lost through sweating.

Players wishing to act on the recommendations of their report can buy products from a LSSA secure website using a unique password.

“We are currently working with 50-80 players on the ATP circuit, including some of the top 20 players,” said John. “In addition to the hydration testing in Rome, we will also be organising sessions in Cincinnati and Madrid during the 2006 Masters series.”

It was three years ago that the ATP, the governing body of the men’s international circuit, set up a task force to find long term solutions to players’ growing concerns about the risks of consuming contaminated supplements.

Several world-class players joined the team to investigate partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers who could meet the ATP’s criteria in terms of products, quality assurance and a purity testing programme.

Per Bastholt, the director of medical services for the ATP, said there was an obvious connection with GSK.

“It showed during talks with the task force that there was a lack of knowledge within the player group concerning diet, hydration and supplementary products.

“We felt it was right to provide products, information and education about how to use these products. GSK immediately understood what was a vital part of the programme for us.”

Although he was not taking part in the hydration testing in Rome, Thomas Johansson, Sweden’s number one, revealed he was a regular user of Lucozade Sport products.

“It is extremely difficult to find good products that are safe,” he explained. “We are not in a position to be able to go into a pharmacy and buy whatever we like.

“I have been using these products for some time and I really like them and the reassurance they give me. It is good to know that you are able to play to the best of your ability knowing that you are safe in terms of non-contaminants and you are still able to get a lot of energy back into your system.”

In the future, GSK intends to build on its growing reputation in the sport supplement arena by entering other partnerships with other UK governing bodies helping to promote contaminant-free product for elite performers within sport in return for access to broader membership. This includes the elite squads within hockey, canoeing and rowing.

Meanwhile, back in the Foro Italico, the Italian Open was finishing in true gladiatorial style after a five and a half hour battle for the men’s title.

The game’s founding fathers from early Rome would have enjoyed the spectacle of two of the world’s top sportsmen giving no quarter to entertain their exuberant followers.

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