The Australian Institute of Sport’s European Training Centre (ETC), strategically based in Varese, Italy, has become a springboard for Australian athletes and teams in their preparation for elite competition in the Northern Hemisphere, in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and beyond.  

AIS sports and Australian athletes and teams including rowing, cycling, canoeing, triathlon, basketball and tennis have been making greater use of the ETC, which is providing them with access to quality training facilities and cutting-edge AIS coaching and sports science and sports medicine services.

The Australian Women’s Match Racing Team has been training hard on Lake Varese — 400 metres above altitude — in preparation for round four of the ISAF Sailing World Cup taking place in Hyeres, France from 23 to 30 April. 

The ETC is providing a tremendous boost to the training and development of the Australian Women’s Match Racing Team in preparation for London 2012 Olympic Games the according to their coach Dayne Sharp.

‘The physical preparation of the sailors is one of the keys to sailing the Elliott 6 metre class to its potential,’ Dayne Sharp said.

‘The demands of match racing and the intensity of the crew maneuvering calls for very fit and well prepared sailors, as in all Olympic classes.

‘Our time in Varese is 90 per cent concentrated on fitness and well-being and the squad is very fortunate to have the opportunity to come to the European base of the AIS.

‘This is our second visit here, and we have seen the fitness levels of the squad improve enormously from last year, we have a very strong foundation in which to launch our European campaign [ISAF Sailing World Cup] for 2010 and beyond.’

The AIS has been at the forefront of sports science and technological innovation, which plays a big part in Australia’s sporting success.