Inspired by the rich past of the Olympic Games, and in keeping with the time-honored tradition of this historic event, Polo Ralph Lauren brings an elegant and contemporary style to the U.S. Olympic Team. Reflecting the brand’s trademark sporty sophistication and refined sensibility, the Opening Ceremony uniforms evoke the heritage and legacy of the 1920’s and 1930’s. Featuring a polished and tailored silhouette, the ensemble is comprised of a crisp white cotton shirt and ivory cuffed pants, complemented by a timeless navy blue blazer in tropical wool, adorned with the iconic Polo Pony and the 2008 U.S. ‘Look of the Team’ logo. The chic outfits are accented by Americana-infused accessories with red, white and blue silk ties and scarves and classic canvas sneakers with red and blue lateral stripes, topped off with a white twill hat.

In addition to designing the Official Opening Ceremony Parade Outfits for the U.S. Olympic Team, Polo Ralph Lauren has also created their Closing Ceremony Parade Outfits, as well as an assortment of village wear pieces.

The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games will be celebrated from August 8-24, with an estimated four billion viewers watching global-televised coverage, which is expected to be the largest audience ever to view the Olympic Games.

For imagery and an in-depth look at Ralph Lauren’s designs for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team visit: http://press.ralphlauren.com/olympics

ABOUT POLO RALPH LAUREN

Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories and fragrances. For more than 40 years, Polo’s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company’s brand names, which include “Polo by Ralph Lauren”, “Ralph Lauren Purple Label”, “Ralph Lauren Collection”, “Black Label”, “Blue Label”, “Lauren by Ralph Lauren”, “Polo Jeans Co.”, “RRL”, “RLX”, “Rugby”, “Ralph Lauren Childrenswear”, “American Living”, “Chaps”, and “Club Monaco” among others, constitute one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands. For more information, go to http://investor.ralphlauren.com/.

About the U.S. Olympic Committee

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games.

Source: Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation

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Aggreko was responsible for the supply of power to both the National Stadium and the International Broadcast Center, which was responsible for transmitting the ceremony to an estimated 4 billion viewers worldwide as well as the nearly 100,000 people in the stadium.

Under the contract to supply temporary power to the Olympics, Aggreko will provide 140 MW of power across 37 Olympic venues in 3 cities: Beijing, Qingdao and Hong Kong. The power, enough to supply over 150,000 homes, will be provided by generators located at each venue and distributed through over 290 miles of cable and 2,000 distribution panels. Aggreko is employing around 200 staff on the contract, many of whom have been recruited in China, to install, maintain and operate the equipment.

Rupert Soames, Chief Executive, Aggreko, said:

“Watching the ceremony was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the enjoyment of the spectacle was enhanced by knowing that Aggreko was a key part of the infrastructure. We now look forward to supporting the Games themselves in 37 venues across China and in Hong Kong.”

About Aggreko

Aggreko plc is the global leader in the rental of power, temperature control and oil-free compressed air systems. We help customers in many different industries to improve and safeguard their operations by solving problems, creating opportunities and reducing risk. Aggreko — the Beijing 2008 Temporary Power and Temperature Control Exclusive Supplier — provides 24/7 availability and service support with approximately 3000 employees operating from over 120 locations in 31 countries. In 2007 we served customers in 100 countries, and had revenues of approximately US $1.4b. Aggreko plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AGK.L) and headquartered in Scotland. For more information, please access the company website at http://www.aggreko.com/northamerica.

Source: Aggreko plc

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A fluids mechanics professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., is using experimental flow measurement techniques to help American swimmers sharpen their strokes, shave seconds from their lap times, and race toward a gold medal in Beijing.

Professor Timothy Wei, head of Rensselaer’s Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering and acting dean of the university’s School of Engineering, helped develop top-secret, state-of-the-art equipment and mathematical techniques that USA Swimming coaches have been using to help train Olympians.

“This is the real thing,” Wei said. “We have the physical system, we’re taking flow measurements of actual swimmers, and we’re getting more information than anyone has ever had before about swimming and how the swimmer interacts with the water. And so far, these techniques have contributed to some very significant improvements in the lap times of Olympic swimmers.”

In years past, swimming coaches have used computer modeling and simulation to hone the techniques of athletes. But Wei developed state-of-the-art water flow diagnostic technologies, modifying and combining force measurement tools developed for aerospace research with a video-based flow measurement technique known as Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV), in order to create a robust training tool that reports the performance of a swimmer in real-time.

“This project moved the swimming world beyond the observational into scientific fact,” said USA Swimming Coach Sean Hutchison. “The knowledge gained gave me the foundation for which every technical stroke change in preparation for the Beijing Olympics was based.”

You can see one of the videos, of 2008 Olympian Megan Jendrick, here: http://www.rpi.edu/news/video/wei/videos.html

The secret, Wei said, is in understanding how the water moves. The new system incorporates highly sophisticated mathematics with stop-motion video technology to identify key vortices, pinpoint the movement of the water, and compute how much energy the swimmer exerts.

“You have to know the flow,” Wei said. “To see how a swimmer’s motion affects the flow, you need to know how much force the swimmer is producing, and how that force impacts the water.”

“Swimming research has strived to understand water flow around a swimmer for decades because how a swimmer’s body moves the surrounding water is everything,” said USA Swimming’s Biomechanics Manager Russell Mark. “The ability to measure flow and forces in a natural and unimpeded environment hasn’t been available until recently, and Dr. Wei’s technology and methods presented USA Swimming with a unique opportunity that United States swimmers and coaches could learn a lot from.”

Wei has been working with USA Swimming for several years, but the idea and design of the new flow measurement tool really took shape in 2007. Most of the preliminary tests were conducted in October 2007, and the coaches and swimmers have spent the past several months incorporating what they have learned into their training regimes. For any swimmer, it takes time to make adjustments to their strokes and practice new techniques, Wei said.

One highlight of working on the project was when Mark arranged for Wei to attend the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Summer Nationals and be on deck with the swimmers. “How often does a researcher get to do something like this?” said Wei, whose young son and daughter also swim competitively. “It’s been a journey into a world that someone like me would have never before gotten the privilege to see first-hand.”

Wei began his research career as an aeronautical and mechanical engineer, including hydrodynamics research for the U.S. Navy. But lately he has expanded into bio-related research, such as working with a vascular surgeon to study effects of flow over endothelial cells, and partnering with a neurosurgeon to understand the mechanisms behind hydrocephalus, or excess fluid in the brain.

As a young researcher, Wei dreamed of measuring flow around swimming whales, but the idea never progressed to fruition. Recently, however, in the midst of his work with USA Swimming, Wei worked with marine biologists Frank Fish and Terrie Williams to measure the flow around swimming bottlenose dolphins at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Wei said he’s confident that the United States will have a strong showing in swimming at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and that he’s already thinking of ways to improve his technology to be even more effective when training swimmers to compete in the 2012 London Olympics.

“It’s been a wonderful, unique experience,” he said. “It’s everyone’s dream to make a difference, and I’m excited to keep helping the team for as long as they need me.”

Wei is also currently working with the U.S. Olympic skeleton team and looking at new flow measurement techniques to help shave precious milliseconds off downhill times.

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com/.

Source: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

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