Inside AIS, factory that produces Olympic champions

It's always in the details. The temperature here was a lovely 22 degrees Celsius. But as soon as we entered the aquatic centre of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), we started to sweat. It had nothing to do with the heat of the competition and everything to do with science.

- Ashish Magotra

The regulations of Olympic swimming pools ensure consistency and fairness with temperatures ranging between 25-28 degrees Celsius. This range promotes efficient heat dissipation, muscle function, and general comfort during training and competition.

So at the AIS, Australia's premier training institution, the temperature of the pool is maintained at 27 degrees Celsius. To ensure that swimmers do not have to cope with a dip in temper ature on leaving the pool, the air conditioner is set at 27 too. You sweat not by default but by design.

Australia finished fourth in the Paris Olympics with 18 gold, 19 silver and 16 bronze medals but seven of those gold, and 18 medals, came from swimming. It was the country's best-ever Olympics in terms of gold medals won. That is what it takes. It's always in the details.

Cameras cover every part of the pool so that swimmers and coaches can study every strokefrom not just above the water but also in it. There are underwater cameras too and one wall of the pool is a one-way mirror which allows the coach to walk alongside the swimmer and perhaps see stuff that only an experienced eye might spot.