Sports materials

Abstract

Materials are key to the world of sport. Advances in materials have enhanced equipment and clothing to allow athletes to perform better and set new records, while improving safety and making sport and exercise more accessible, comfortable and enjoyable. Tennis saw dramatic changes in the 1980s, as sports engineers discarded wood and adopted fibre-polymer composites to produce sti ffer rackets with larger heads [1]. Fibre-polymer composites are also used to create sti ff plates within the midsole of some distance running shoes, allowing athletes to run more e fficiently [2,3]. In snowsports, soft-shell back protectors made from shear thickening foam are more comfortable and o ffer better protection from repeat impacts than their traditional hard-shell counterparts [4]. The work behind such advances in materials and equipment should ideally be communicated in peer reviewed articles, so claims can be verified and improvements realised, and appropriately implemented and regulated, to ensure sport remains fair, safe and enjoyable for all.