LONDON 2012

INSPIRING A GENERATION BY STUART HINDS, SST

London 2012 was my 4th Olympic games providing soft tissue therapy for the Australian Olympic Medical Team. The Soft Tissue Therapy team for the Australian Olympic team is broken up into two service localities: 1. Australian Olympic Medical Clinic Headquarters situated in the Olympic Village

2. Australian Olympic Athlete Recovery Centre (ARC) at a site outside the Olympic Village.

ATHLETE RECOVERY CENTRE (ARC) I was working at the ARC 90% of the time, occasionally being rostered into the village clinic headquarters. The ARC was led by Dr Shona Holson, head of recovery services at the Australian Institute Of Sport. Shona, along with Megan Ross, were our sports physiologists and ran the logistics of the ARC. Dr Lyndel Abbott was our resident clinical psychologist, and Vince Ren, Natasha Brock and myself made up the soft tissue therapy services. The ARC was based in a school that normally operates as a special needs school for children with a disability, and hence was equipped with a hydrotherapy pool. The school was based in Stratford, only a 5-minute drive from the Olympic village. Our role at the ARC was to provide Australian athletes with recovery services including hydrotherapy (primarily hot/cold immersions), massage and psychology consultation. Over the period of 30 days the ARC-based soft tissue therapists serviced over 380 athletes. More than 500 athletes used the hydrotherapy services and there were 50 psychological consultations. The psychology services at the

ARC were provided by a clinical psychologist with experience in both clinical and elite sport settings. It was initially anticipated that the recovery psychologist role would cover three

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We look at four very different experiences at the London 2012 Games. Brilliantly

organised and brilliantly executed, thank you to our volunteers. Next up Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014. For more info visit www.glasgow2014.com

domains: relaxation/sleep strategies, debriefing/psychological recovery between and after performances, and crisis intervention if needed. The role evolved over the duration of the Games and included both formal and informal contact with individual athletes, teams, coaches, medical staff and other support staff. Formal contacts included arranged individual consultations in a private office, whereas informal contact included discussions in common areas of the ARC, most notably in the hydrotherapy area. Presenting concerns ranged from performance based issues such as eliminating distractions and managing performance anxiety, through to more clinical issues such as grief, depression, trauma and anxiety. One of the most valuable benefits of the recovery psychologist role was that by making the initial contact informal, it appeared to increase the accessibility to, whilst decreasing the stigma of, accessing psychological services

LONDON 2012 V THE REST! In my humble opinion I can say that London was the most enjoyable and comprehensively organised Olympics I have had the pleasure of attending; a fair call for an Aussie to say considering the Sydney Olympic Games is amongst the four I’ve attended!

Sydney 2000 Sydney was coined the “party” games and had an exceptional feel. The city of Sydney is spectacular and the weather was great. Venue facilities were great, however transport to and from these venues could be tricky as most people had to commute out to the stadium or to other venues that were spread all over Sydney. A big positive was having the village next to the main stadium.

Athens 2004

As the birthplace of the Olympics Games, it was special but I felt that the preparation and logistics of the Games were not up to the standard that I had expected or hoped for and the athlete village in Athens was not next to the main stadiums, which presented transport and other logistical challenges.

Beijing 2008 Beijing 2008 was an incredible spectacle, leaving no stone unturned. The village, main stadium and aquatic center were all housed in an Olympic precinct which reduced transport problems. The facilities, gardens and infrastructure surrounding the whole region were exceptional, however it lacked the feel of other games.

London 2012

London 2012 got the logistics right and have set the precedent. The main stadium, Olympic village, aquatic centre, water polo, BMX, hockey and velodrome stadiums created an impressive Olympic precinct. Add to the mix the largest (Westfield) shopping centre in Europe and the excellent transport options including and you have an exceptional mix. Well done London 2012, you pulled it off brilliantly.

THE AUTHOR

Stuart Hinds is a lecturer in remedial soft tissue techniques in Australia. He was part of the massage service for the International Olympic Committee at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games as well as the soft tissue teams for the Australian Olympic Team in the London 2012, Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

In action at the ARC

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