Sports science courses in London
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Read how London's universities are applying the latest techniques in physiotherapy, biomechanics and sports psychology to prepare future champions for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.
Each week thousands of people in London are entertained by highly skilled athletes competing to be the best. The city is home to some of the world's most famous sporting teams, tournaments and venues including Arsenal and Chelsea football clubs, cricket at Lord's, tennis at Wimbledon, and not forgetting the 36,000 runners who take part in one of the world's largest marathons each year. But like the city, sport in London does not stand still and London's sporting professionals are now preparing for the arrival of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.
Athletes are working closely with London's universities, benefiting from the latest research and practice in specialist areas including sports management, biomechanics, physiotherapy and sports science.
Brunel University has a longstanding reputation for excellence in sports teaching and research. It regularly attracts high-calibre students, including professional athletes who successfully combine study with training and competition. James Cracknell is an alumnus of Brunel and famous for the two gold medals he won in rowing at the 2000 Sydney and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. James studied for an MSc Sport Sciences a year before his first Olympic win and acknowledges that his academic study provided welcome relief during the strenuous training as he prepared for the Olympics.
Brunel continues to invest in new technology and recently spent £14 million on sports and laboratory facilities to ensure their broad range of sports and research programmes benefit from state-of-the-art equipment. On the research front, Brunel's Centre for Sports Medicine and Human Performance includes three exercise physiology laboratories, an environmental chamber to simulate extreme environments, two biomechanics laboratories and an exercise biochemistry laboratory.
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Posted: Tuesday 9 February 2010