As the Olympic Games opening ceremony gets closer, the news starts to focus more and more on the science behind the sport. The BBC website today has articles on the science behind the running track, running on blades and a video on the backroom science that helps athletes.

At the RSC, we have been showing the science behind sport for the past few months with our Chemistry in the Olympics website and Global Experiment which schoolchildren from around the world have taken part in. With resources to explain the science behind the Olympics for all ages, we hope students can understand a little bit more about how much work goes into preparing an athlete to perform - not just by them and their team, but the scientists that have spent years researching the material footballs are made from, the flexibility of poles in pole vaulting and the weight of racing bikes, to name a few.