Dyneema skinsuit for Olympic speed skaters

27 January 2010, Amsterdam - Royal DSM N.V. and the Royal Dutch Skating Association (KNSB) are introducing an innovative skinsuit for the Dutch Olympic short-track skating team, which will be launched 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. The 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.

DSM says the new product’s secret weapon is the use of Dyneema. By cleverly combining Dyneema with other fibres, 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, the company says.

DSM claims that, 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,” says DSM.

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.