Meet Olympic scientists at MOSI

A physiologist who has helped elite athletes such as Paula Radcliffe, Kelly Homes and James Cracknell manage their asthma problems, will be amongst several top sport scientists at MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester) on Saturday 15 January.

Dr John Dickinson of Liverpool John Moores University will bring equipment for visitors to test their own lungs and compare the data with that of Olympic and professional athletes.

According to research by Dr Dickinson of the 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams and the 2006 Winter Olympics, 21 per cent of the British Olympic team has asthma, and 20 per cent of athletes take asthma inhalers but have been mis-diagnosed.

The free event, which runs throughout the day, is part of MOSI’s regular ‘Meet the Scientist or Meet the Engineer’ programme. It includes an ECHO machine, on which visitors can test heart function, use of games such as Nintendo Wii for exercise, exercise equipment for children by SHOKK, as well as computer software by Prozone to analyse sport performance.

Dr John Dickinson said: “My research shows that over a fifth of elite athletes have asthma and many are misdiagnosed. Visitors can get a chance to test their own lung and heart function and compare their fitness levels to those of professional athletes, as well as have some fun with the exercise equipment and games I will bring with my colleagues from Liverpool John Moores University, and other companies.”

For more information on MOSI look up www.mosi.org.uk