Innovations in SportswearDyneema® Skin suitDuring the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February 2010, the Dutch Olympic short track team used a new and innovative CRAFT one layer skin suit. Previously, Olympic athletes wore two layer skin suits – an under layer for protection purpose and a surface layer for aesthetic appearance.
 In cooperation with the Royal Dutch Skating Association (KNSB), DSM used its knowledge in the field of performance materials to develop a one layer skin suit which offered both protection and cooling to the athletes. This was done by using Dyneema®, a high-performance fiber which offers both protection and intrinsic cooling properties, while still maintaining a comfortable fit. Dyneema® is used in a broad variety of applications, including protective gloves for metal workers, bullet resistant armor for the police and army, and ropes used for heavy lifting in the offshore and shipping industry. For more information about DSM’s Dyneema® Skin suit, click here for the press release. Cooling ProductsThe project to develop innovative cooling products for athletes started in the build-up to the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where the Dutch Olympic rowers used special cooling products. When preparing for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the expected heat and high humidity that are characteristic of Chinese summers caused some concerns among athletes. Effectively cooling the body under such conditions can greatly enhance an athlete’s ability to deliver a top-level performance and to recover quickly from this performance.
Furthermore, DSM also developed a special after-cooling bath especially suitable for teams. In the build-up to the 2008 Summer Olympics, both the men’s and women’s field hockey teams and the footballers started using this special bath. During the development of the cooling bath, DSM collaborated with Innovacent, InnoSportNL, and the Dutch Institute of Applied Research (TNO). For more information about DSM’s cooling products, click here for the Cooling Fact Sheet (PDF, 140 Kb), click here for the Individual Cooling press release, or here for the Team Cooling press release. Other innovations and applications of DSM products and technologies include:
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Therefore, DSM developed an all-round cooling concept especially for the Dutch Olympic athletes. One of the results was a mobile and fully modular cooling system, which athletes could wear as a “vest” during time-outs and immediately after their match.
