24 July 2024
The long haul flight to Paris just became more manageable with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) updating its REST Hub resources to coincide with the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The AIS REST Hub provides world leading information and guidance for athletes, coaches, and staff on matters relating to recovery, environment, sleep, and travel (REST) – areas that can significantly impact performance
As well as providing resources on how to manage long haul travel and jet lag, the online hub also provides advice on a range of topics to assist during competition, including recovery strategies, heat preparation and management, and optimisation of healthy sleep practices.
“We’re excited to have these resources available online, providing high performance sport staff a stepping stone to overcoming and solving REST related issues which will ultimately benefit both athlete wellbeing and performance,” AIS REST Hub Lead Jo Miller said.
“The resources reinforce the work the AIS REST hub team has been doing with sports in the lead up to the Games, which has included delivering hundreds of jet lag adaptation plans for those traveling to Paris through AIS Travel Ready.”
AIS Travel Ready is an online tool designed to automate individualised jet lag adaptation plans. The plans are typically implemented on arrival (after long-haul travel) and detail periods of time to seek and avoid light to align the body clock with the new time zone - reducing time spent jet lagged.
The AIS will also be providing on the ground support in Paris, with Senior Advisor Dr Peta Maloney to be the Sports Science and Recovery Lead for the Australian Paralympic Team, while Senior Recovery Physiologist Dr Steph Davies will be the Recovery Lead for the Australian Olympic Team, as well as provide Recovery Support at the Paralympics.
The AIS Engineering team has also played a crucial role in preparing the recovery services in Paris, purpose building chilling units and custom designed ice baths/seats for the Paralympics.
The chilling units will run around the clock during both Games, keeping ice baths cool and helping athletes beat the heat, while the custom ice baths/seats will be used to increase accessibility and safety for many athletes during the Paralympics.
To learn more about the AIS REST Hub and the updated resources visit: www.ais.gov.au/rest-hub