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An internationally recognised high performance sport centre for research, training and graduate sport science education will be developed at The University of Western Australia 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.

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," said Mr Boyce.  "UWA has 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."

Research at the centre will benefit the likes of Eamon Sullivan, WAIS scholarship holder, 50m freestyle world record holder and a member of the Australian Olympic Swimming Team, who witnessed today's signing.  Sullivan's swimming prowess will benefit directly from 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.

Professor Bruce Elliott, head of UWAs School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health and a key figure in the development of WAIS, said WAIS staff was originally housed at the School and the early support of athletes was performed at the University.

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.

Media references

Simon Moore-Crouch (WAIS Public Relations Manager)  61 8  9387 8166  /  0433 509 582
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  61 8  6488 5563  /  0432 637 716