High-performance sportswear gives athletes a competitive edge
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Every innovation counts when it comes to competing on the world stage. Behind the success of athletes lies inventors who work behind the scenes to push the boundaries, creating new equipment and gear that enable them to better their performance.
The path to glory
Homegrown cutting-edge gear plays a role in the road to glory for some Hong Kong elite athletes. Produced by the Hong Kong Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), they have lifted their performance on the world stage. HKRITA owns 105 Intellectual Property (IP) Rights.
Dr Gloria Yao, PhD and Director of Project Development of HKRITA, who specialises in the research of textiles and clothing particularly in its interactions with the human body, is instrumental in creating the training and competition gear for the Hong Kong rowing team.
“We have been working with the Hong Kong Sports Institute since 2008 to develop high-performance sportswear. We start by understanding different types of sport and the biomechanical, physiological and psychological needs of the athletes,” says Yao.
HKRITA-made uniforms have made their presence felt at three previous Olympics and Asian Games as well as other international competitions. Their high performance, fit and stretchability have received excellent feedback from the athletes. “The outfits are custom-made, starting with 3D body-scanning conducted for each athlete. Every little detail counts, including the weight of the outfit for our lightweight competitors. So we reduce the weight gram by gram. An 80-gram outfit makes a big difference to a 200-gram one. Our women’s competition outfit only weighs 86 grams. Together with smart thermal and biomechanical protection, sufficient UV blocking, ergonomic design and touch comfort, they give our athletes confidence and a marginal gain when they train and compete at the highest levels. Last but not least, they feel and look good in them,” explains Yao.
Winning gear
Former windsurfer-turned-rower Jacky Chiu is one of the elite athletes who gives the rowing outfits a big thumbs up.
A member of the men’s lightweight double sculls duo at the 2016 Rio Olympics and silver medal winner in men’s lightweight single sculls at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, the 24-year-old enthuses about the high-performance gear. “The latest competition outfit is ultralight. Even 0.1kg in weight affects us tremendously as we need to cycle for 15 minutes to reduce that amount for the weighing-in. With just 0.1kg less in weight, we can eat and prepare more before the competition. The super stretchy fabric material gives us optimal freedom of movement, while the fitting is excellent with a lower underarm cutting. Together with the minimal bonded seams, they prevent chafing and add to the comfort. In short, we don’t have to be concerned about our outfit when we compete.”
The training gear also receives similar praise. “The waterproof windbreaker is extremely supple and light and is perfect to wear after training in hot places. It comes with numerous pockets to keep stuff such as competitor’s ID, passport and mobile phone handy, plus thumb holes so the sleeves won’t ride up. The hood is well designed to keep the neck warm and the rain off the face. The new training pants come with ankle zips to add style and functionality. The cooling cape is fashionable, convenient and allows us to cool down very fast especially in hot weather. It only took five minutes for me to do so after competition in Jakarta last year,” continues Chiu.
Looking ahead, Chiu is hopeful of earning a berth to the Tokyo Olympics next year with the goal of Hong Kong finishing among the top 12 teams in the world.
Solid footwork
Another HKRITA creation that combines functionality and aesthetics are asymmetric fencing shoes for the Hong Kong fencing team.
“Fencing is an isometric sport with the lunge resulting in an impact equivalent to seven times the fencer’s body weight on the lead foot. The support foot, on the other hand, trails the back heel on the floor. To provide adequate support and protection, we designed the two shoes differently to fit the biomechanical characteristics of each foot. A cushioning midsole and insole in specific areas improve the pressure distribution. Durable materials are used in the inner edge of the support shoe to deal with the foot drag. Both shoes are balanced, look and weigh the same, while performing different functions during fencing. We produced prototypes for elite fencing athletes to wear just before the Rio Olympics,” says Yao.
Intellectual property (IP) protection enhances performance
“The fencing shoes and rowing outfits are patented, and we have registered patents for our apparel including one for running wear and another for cycling wear. IP plays an important role in our R&D process, and some companies have commercialised our patented inventions. For us, we create intellectual property during the research and development process by understanding the needs of athletes and how our textiles can enhance their performance. This fundamental technology can be applied and adapted to produce the right gear for different wearers. The key is to make them perform better, feel better and survive longer in extreme conditions. Other examples are the protective gear for the fire service which helps to reduce heat stress and uniforms for the marine police which increases thermal protection on the water,” concludes Yao.
