Heerlen, NL, 27-Jan-2010 Royal DSM N.V. and the Royal Dutch Skating Association (KNSB) are
introducing an innovative skinsuit for the Dutch Olympic short-track team. The new suit will be
unveiled at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. In collaboration with the KNSB, DSM has
developed a lighter and, most importantly, more comfortable suit that offers maximum protection.
This innovation forms part of DSM’s ‘Innovation is our Sport™’ program, which focuses on working
with and for athletes to develop innovative products in the areas of nutrition and materials.
The new product’s secret weapon is the use of Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™. By
cleverly combining Dyneema® with other fibers, DSM’s team has created a new skinsuit comprising
just a single layer. The suit is lighter than existing skinsuits and its snugger fit makes it
exceptionally comfortable.
Thanks to the use of Dyneema®, the suit feels cool and allows body heat to escape more
effectively than suits made from other protective materials. The skaters will benefit enormously
from this, since temperatures can reach very high levels in indoor skating rinks. That will
certainly be true in the crowded venues for the races at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver,
where the Dutch short-track skaters will be appearing in their new skinsuits.
Short-track skater Annita van Doorn says of her new racing suit : “The suit feels cooler than
other suits. That is a definite advantage in a warmer environment such as we will encounter in
Vancouver. It will also be nice to feel well protected with just a single suit, rather than having
to wear several layers as before.”
“Through its close cooperation with the KNSB and its unique know-how and expertise in
materials, DSM has come up trumps again, this time with a fantastic innovation for the short-track
skaters. DSM is helping various Dutch Olympic teams in their preparations for the Winter Games in
Vancouver,” says Rob van Leen, DSM’s Chief Innovation Officer.
As Partner in Sport of NOC*NSF, DSM develops new nutritional products and materials to help
the members of the Dutch Olympic Team to perform to the peak of their ability. During the Winter
Olympics in Vancouver, TeamNL’s bobsled team will be competing in a brand-new bobsled composed of
materials from DSM. In the run-up to the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, one of the products
developed by DSM was a new boat in which the sailors Marcelien de Koning and Lobke Berkhout won a
silver medal in the 470 class.
DSM and sports
Sport is about performing at a top level, day in, day out. It is about passion, ambition, the
will to win, the constant desire to improve and teamwork. In that respect, sport embodies a number
of DSM’s core values. Innovation is one of the main spearheads of DSM’s strategic course, which
involves a focus on Life Sciences and Materials Sciences, and it is equally important in the world
of sports: innovations in the fields of nutrition and materials can mean the difference between
victory and defeat. DSM has been a ‘Partner in Sport’ to NOC*NSF since 2001, producing innovations
that help top athletes: Innovation is our Sport™.
Posted on February 2, 2010
Press Release Courtesy of Royal DSM N.V.
