Singapore to increase investment in sport science to boost athletes’ performance

SINGAPORE: Fresh from the Paris Olympics, kayaker Stephenie Chen is back home and paddling again.
One area she needs to focus on is rowing symmetrically – crucial for faster timings in her kayak sprint races.
At a training session, national head coach Bill Lee monitored her rowing movements as they worked on refining her techniques. But there is only so much the naked eye can see.
In comes sport science.
Using a motion capture software, Lee could pinpoint areas Chen needed to improve on as she paddled on a kayak ergometer, an indoor high-tech simulator.
“We review (her rowing) on the 3D diagram and see whether the rotation on both sides are symmetrical or not,” Lee told CNA during the session at the Sport Biomechanics Laboratory at the Singapore Sport Institute.  
“Indoors, we can really focus on the technique, because there’s no wind and there’s no wash from other boats. So, the athlete can be very focused on just one or two aspects of their technique.”
The technology can also play back videos or graphics on the spot, allowing greater in-depth discussions between coaches and athletes and immediate rectification of techniques.
Observing the session was sport scientist Dr Marcus Lee, who chimed in that Chen’s leg movements were slower on one side, which could hamper her overall speed.
“Without (Dr Lee’s) second pair of eyes, I would not have been able to pick that out so quickly,” said coach Lee.
“On top of that, he gave some advice on how that connection and timing can be improved, which is something that I will pay closer attention to when I’m coaching.”
Such collaboration between coaches and sport science professionals is becoming increasingly important in Singapore’s sport landscape as the nation strives to provide an environment for athletes to excel.
Currently, the ratio of sport scientists to elite athletes in Singapore is one to 39.
Comparatively, Hong Kong has one sport scientist for every 13 athletes while Japan has narrowed its ratio to almost one to one.
Sport authorities in Singapore hope that more investments into sport science will grow the number of professionals, which could translate into more focused training and ultimately, better performance from athletes.
The nation is set to build an expanded sport science and sport medicine centre in Kallang, with state-of-the-art labs and facilities.
The centre will be open to all Team Singapore athletes and will seek to provide them with a significant competitive advantage.
National athletes who pursue sports science degrees in local or overseas universities will also have their full tuition fees covered.
Dr Marcus Lee, who heads the centre, called sport science a “sunrise industry”, especially in Singapore where the talent pool is still playing catch-up with other countries.
“To be able to succeed on an international stage, sport science is a need and not so much a want. We should really be scientific in everything we do (and) take a targeted path towards achieving our goals,” he said.
“Singapore is primed to leverage on this because we’ve got a very educated population.”
Sport science professionals use science, technology and data to help maximise athletes’ performance and endurance, while lessening their risk of injury.
They assess each athlete – from how much lactic acid the body produces to the resting heartbeat – and help coaches to design training programmes.
“Every sport and every athlete is unique. Even in the same sport, two athletes might be very different, and therefore the interventions (will) be different,” said Dr Lee. 
They also aid coaches in understanding the science behind limitations, which can help break through barriers.
“(Sport science) gives me many perspectives which I may not, as a coach, understand. For example, if an athlete is having more rotation on one side (of the body), the biomechanist will be able to provide an insight as to why there is a limitation on one side and not on the other,” said coach Lee.
“This provides me with fresh perspectives to support and help the athletes overcome challenges that they are facing.”
Psychology is also a crucial part of sport science, as athletes are often under immense pressure to perform.
“Mentally, sport science goes a long way towards supporting athletes. It reaffirms to the athletes that whatever work they are putting in can be measured,” said coach Lee.
“At the end of the day, it’s not just about the physical capabilities, but the mental game that will make the difference. Sport science will give them an edge in this aspect.”
Many Team Singapore athletes have benefitted from sport science.
For Paralympic athlete Nur Syahidah, a lower resting heart rate would be beneficial as that helps with accuracy in her sport of archery.
Part of her training involved an inclined treadmill in an environmental chamber to strengthen her aerobic capacity.
Dr Lee said sport scientists managed to get her resting heart rate down by about 7 beats per minute. 
“Where she’s looking is also really important. We perform quite a bit of eye tracking to look at where she’s looking at, how long she’s looking at the various areas, and optimise that,” he noted.
“The coach wanted to make sure that her elbow is not coming out too much. So using our 3D motion capture technology, we were also able to fine-tune that.”
For the nation’s sprint queen Shanti Pereira, sport science professionals broke down the process of her runs to the smallest of details, including the distance between her feet and the ground – ideally, they should not be in the air for too long.
They then suggested drills that could improve her performance.
Kayaking veteran Chen said sport science quantifies training and performance with numbers, allowing athletes to know for sure if they are on the right track.
“Sport science bolsters your 99 per cent – which is the training and hard work. It gives you that 1 per cent support to help you get the edge,” she said.
“Like with nutrition, sufficient physio, rehab and everything, 1 per cent seems like a small number but it makes a difference … when it comes to high performance.”