Better skiing through chemistry

With the 2022 winter Olympic games about to begin on 4 February in Beijing, China, followed by the winter Paralympic games on 4 March, the eyes of a sport-obsessed world will be on the athletes and their performances. But look more closely and you’ll see some high-performing materials helping the athletes achieve their dreams. Sports equipment was once made of natural materials such as wood, twine, leather and ox guts, but thanks to chemistry, most is now made of various combinations of materials which are specific to each sport.

While scientific advances are often embraced in competitive sports like the Olympics, not all end up being permitted by the authorities who govern the sports. This can be because the improvements go too far and are considered an unfair advantage to athletes, ultimately leading to their ban in competitions. But care must be taken to ensure banning technology does not result in an even more uneven playing field. ‘Technology doping’ can be used to prevent disabled athletes competing against non-disabled athletes by claiming they are at an advantage because of ‘technical aids’.