An internationally recognised high performance sport centre for research, training and graduate sport science education will be developed at UWA Sports Park.
A memorandum of understanding cementing the proposal was signed at The University of Western Australia today between UWA and the Western Australian Institute of Sport.
UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Robson said the centre was intended to be a Western Australian intellectual and academic resource for Australia.
“This centre will bring together world-class science and world-class athletes under an agreement which will not only benefit our elite Australian athletes, and further our understanding of the factors that make them high performance athletes, but also benefit our non-elite athletes,” he said.
The centre will be part of the proposed new WAIS building at Sports Park (located adjacent to Challenge Stadium), but until the new facility is developed UWA scientists will work with WAIS researchers within the existing building on areas such as sport science (e.g. biomechanics), sports psychology, sociology and behavioural science as well as coaching.
WAIS Chairman Grant Boyce said the agreement would help to cement the Institute’s position as a leader on the Australian sporting landscape.
“WAIS has always been a leader in Australia’s sport system and confirming our relationship with UWA will enable us to continue to be well into the future,” stated Boyce.
“UWA have been an important partner of WAIS since day one and today not only formalises this 24 year relationship but opens up an array of new opportunities.”
Professor Bruce Elliott, the head of UWAs School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, said the memorandum of understanding would seal a longstanding relationship between the two institutions.
“UWA gave birth to WAIS whose staff was originally housed on campus at the School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health,” said Professor Elliott, who was a key figure in the early development of WAIS.
“Much of the early servicing of athletes was performed at this University. When WAIS moved to Challenge Stadium the collaboration continued, but this was mostly joint supervision of Masters and PhD students.”
The signing was witnessed by special guest Eamon Sullivan, who is a WAIS scholarship holder as well as the 50 metre freestyle world record holder and a member of the Australian Olympic Swimming Team. Sullivan’s swimming prowess will benefit directly from the relationship between UWA and WAIS through the joint research into computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
Dr Andrew Lyttle, WAIS sports biomechanist, and UWA PhD student Matt Keys have been using CFD, which is heavily utilised in the oil and gas industry, to examine how swimmers create propulsion in the water. Sullivan and other WAIS swimmers have participated in the research which has progressed from examining underwater kicking patterns to now examining full stroking actions.
The ultimate aim is to shave crucial fractions of a second off the swimmers times by optimising the way a swimmer moves through the water.
The CFD study is one current example of the relationship between the two institutions with WAIS and UWA planning to conduct further joint research and develop facilities including research laboratories and facilities for rehabilitation and strength conditioning.
The memorandum also enshrines the Olympic ideals of the balanced development of the mind, body and character, the joy of effort, being a positive role model and universal ethics of tolerance, friendship and nondiscrimination.
