How New Technology has Transformed the Olympics...

Carbon-fiber prosthetics
We were all inspired by Oscar Pistorius!  This is the first Olympics that featured a double-amputee sprinter. Competing in the individual 400-meter event and South Africa’s 4x400-meter relay squad, Oscar Pistorius is a four-time Paralympic gold medalist. Nicknamed the Blade Runner, he sported his iconic carbon-fiber blade prosthetics, which were a source of controversy at the last Olympics. The International Association of Athletics Federations had ruled that he would be ineligible for Olympic competition, but that was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.  While he was eligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics, he didn't qualify, instead taking home three golds in the Paralympic Games in 2008.


Streamlined threads
U.S. sprinters are sporting a specially designed TurboSpeed suit designed by Nike. The high-tech suits can reportedly help runners shave 0.23 seconds off a 100-meter sprint. These outfits endured hundreds of hours in a wind tunnel over a 12-year period. Made of an 82 percent recycled polyester fabric, the design incorporates golf ball-like dimples, which can reduce aerodynamic drag. Adidas has also been hard at work to create new athletic wear, specifically hot pants, which are used by Great Britain’s cyclists. Adipower warms the wearer’s muscles to yield better performance. Adidas debuted the pants after four years of development by the sportswear company, British Cycling and Loughborough University. In taekwondo, new rules require that competitors be clad with sensor pads that register hits. The new uniforms by Daedo will increase judging accuracy and serve as a backup to prevent human scoring errors.