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The modern Olympic Games were founded with the intention of improving health and education, promoting world peace, and encouraging fair and equal competition．But over the years, the Olympic saying, “faster, higher, stronger”, has pushed scientists as well as athletes to do everything possible to reach new levels．
Doctors, engineers and coaches all use everything science has to offer to achieve that little bit extra in competition．The reason modern technology has become part of sport is very simple：winning is just as important as it was 2, 500 years ago at the Olympics of ancient Greece．Developments in technology have often been reflected in the methods of training and performance at the Olympics through history．This technology falls into two main groups：improving an athlete’s performance in competition, and allowing results to be measured more accurately．
One of the creations that has drawn the most attention is the new high-tech swimsuit from Speedo, which was used by many US swimmers in Athens．Until Sydney 2000, it was thought that the smaller the swimsuit, the faster the swimmer would travel．
“However, the fact that at the Sydney Olympics, 28 of the 33 gold medalists were wearing the body covering Fastskin suit proved the theory was out of date,” said Andy Thomas, vice-president of Speedo．
The company’s full body suit is supposed to make swimmers 3 to 4 percent faster, particularly when turning or diving into the water．It is believed that the suit creates less water resistance as it moves, behaving more like a shark skin than a human skin．
The introduction of high-tech equipment means that athletes in all sports, from the 100-metre sprint to the pole vault, can now train more effectively．
Meanwhile, scientific development also means performances can be measured and studied more accurately．Not only are winning times more accurately recorded, but cheating athletes are easier to catch out．Athens 2004 organizers promised to use only the very latest equipment to measure distance and speed．
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