The Open University

Five things you need to be a Winter Olympian

23 February 2018

The Winter Olympics has given a perfect illustration of how the nature of elite sport requires athletes to push themselves to their limit in high-pressure competitive situations. The OU’s Candice Lingam-Willgoss, lecturer in sport and fitness notes how the performances in PyeongChang this year reveal typical examples of courage, determination and gold medal winning achievements. […]

Fitness trends for 2018: stretching classes, eco-friendly treadmills and gym psychologists

19 December 2017

In 2017 we saw the continued popularity of high intensity interval training (HIIT), strength training and group training. The success of parkrun, free 5 km running events held in over 500 parks, showed that people are interested in coming together in shared exercise experiences. Parkrun now has over 120,000 participants supported by 10,000 volunteers and […]

Women’s Euro 2017 football tournament – all you need to know

26 July 2017

The summer of women’s sport takes to the football pitch with the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 competition getting underway on July 16. It will be the 12th women’s Euro tournament and is hosted by the Netherlands for the first time, who will launch proceedings with a match against Norway in Utrecht. A total of 47 […]

Testosterone in female athletes – gender expert comments

4 July 2017

A new report from The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) says that female athletes with high levels of testosterone, such as Caster Semenya, could have a competitive advantage over their rivals. Currently the Court of Arbitration for Sport has suspended a rule enforcing a limit on naturally occurring levels of testosterone in female athletes […]

Why exercise helps with mental health

19 April 2017

What impact does exercise have on mental health? Lecturer in Sport and Fitness at The Open University, Karen Howells, provides expert insight into why exercise could improve your mental health. Mental health isn’t just the absence of illness “We know exercise is good for us; physically it can prevent diseases such as diabetes and keep us […]

5 fitness trends for 2017

29 December 2016

Simon Rea, OU Lecturer in Sport and Fitness, takes a look back at sport in 2016 and examines the big trends in fitness for 2017… More people are getting involved in sport As 2016 comes to an end Sport England released a very positive report saying that the number of women playing sport has reached […]

We must challenge the culture of silence about child sexual abuse in football

25 November 2016

Professional footballers, including the former Crewe Alexandra player Andy Woodward, have been speaking out recently about their experiences of sexual abuse as children. They include alleged victims of football coach Barry Bennell, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1998, and are waiving their right to anonymity. The NSPCC said a special hotline, […]

Illustration of training swimmers in a swimming pool

‘Super-human’ athletes are at risk from the post-Olympic blues – here’s why

23 August 2016

As nations all over the world welcome their Olympic athletes home, many of us will take a moment to reflect on the whirlwind of psychological pressure, physical strain, elation and disappointment, which they have just experienced. But whether they’re revelling in the glory of hard-won medals, or recovering from heartbreaking defeats, Olympic athletes won’t have […]

Why are Olympic athletes copping so much abuse? It all comes down to gender

16 August 2016

Every four years, the Olympic and Paralympic Games burst on to our screens, showcasing a rich variety of sports, athletes and cultures. For those not lucky enough to be in Rio this year, social media has made it possible to to share jokes, news, triumphs and disappointments with other viewers from around the world. But […]

Making young children give everything to football is a bad idea – here’s why

2 August 2016

As a result, they are taking on players very young. British clubs commonly take advantage of the fact that they can sign players on schoolboy terms from the age of nine. And the clubs invite even younger children to their development centres and have been known to scout five-year-olds. When a youngster signs for a […]

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Category: Sport