NEWS - PRESS RELEASES

University of Leicester focuses on the Olympics

New series of free public lectures on Olympic themes start from October 21

Issued on 29 September 2010

The University of Leicester is to stage a series of public events to celebrate the Olympics 2012.

The University’s Sports and Recreation Service has organised a series of public lectures as part of the University’s engagement with the Olympics. All lectures, which are free and open to the public, start at 5.30pm and take place in Ken Edwards Lecture Theatre 3 or Attenborough Lecture Theatre 1.

As recognition for delivering projects inspired by the London 2012 Games, the programme has been awarded the “Inspired by” mark by the organising committee of the London 2012.

Director of Sport, Colin Hide commented:

"The Olympics is the greatest show on Earth and will excite a generation of sports - and non sports - fans. This lecture series will attempt to make sense of the Olympics both past and present and begin the University’s engagement with London 2012."

The first lecture will take place in Ken Edwards Lecture Theatre 3 on Thursday, 21 October, with Dr Fiona Fairhurst, CEO of Zero Point Zero One, speaking on 'Supersuits' - The Design and Development of Aerodynamic & Hydrodynamic Equipment for Sport.

Fiona was Director of Research and Development for Speedo, and whilst in post developed the Speedo Fastskin models of racing swimsuits. These were used at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and swimmers wearing them scooped the majority of the medals. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, swimmers wearing the second-generation of the Fastskin suit (which then featured a unique hydrodynamic cut that fits swimmers like a “second skin”) earned a total of 47 medals.

Fiona will speak about their development and how studying shark skin gave them a unique insight which influenced the makeup of the material that the suits were subsequently made of. This lecture will give the inside track on the technological development of revolutionary sportswear and discuss the role of the performance apparel which caused global controversy within sport.

On Monday, 8 November, Professor Gary D. Rawnsley will deliver the lecture on Media and Communications at Beijing in Attenborough Lecture Theatre 1.

The Beijing Olympics of 2008 are considered as China's 'coming-out' party, representing the country's 'peaceful rise', astounding economic development and growing stature in the global community. On the other hand, it is clear that hosting the Olympics was a huge risk: with thousands of foreign journalists descending on Beijing, all of whom were promised unprecedented freedom of movement, China was in the world's spotlight like never before.

This lecture provides an overview of Chinese public diplomacy and soft power - China's attraction via national values and cultural appeal - and tries to understand how the Olympics and their media coverage helped the projection of modern, dynamic and peaceful China.

On Thursday, 2 December, Dr Harry B. Rossiter will deliver the lecture on The Limits to Human Performance: Lesson from Olympia’s in Ken Edwards Lecture Theatre 3.

This lecture is from the “popular science” tradition and attempts to compare and contrast the limits of human performance over the ages. It uses historical examples from around the world to probe the limits to human performance. For example, it looks at examples spanning the energy cost of pyramid building in ancient Egypt to the running postmen of Japan in the 17th century and compares these to modern day exploits and attempts to answer the question: Who’s the fittest?

Free tickets can be requested via sport@le.ac.uk or on the door on the night.

Note to Newsdesk

For more information, please contact:

Colin Hide

Director of Sport, University of Leicester, 40 Manor Road, Oadby, Leicester. LE2 2LL

t: (0116) 271 9144 m: 07973 504345 f:(0116) 271 1636

Violetta Mertins