HPM co-founder Stefano Maldifassi is starring in the Paris 2024 Olympics as technical commentator of the Science Olympiad column for TV broadcaster Eurosport.

Thanks to his experience in the field of engineering research, his analyses provide valuable insights into the exploits of the participants in the world’s most important and eagerly awaited sporting event.

His interpretations arouse viewers’ interest through the narration of curiosities that inform and enthuse the public, helping them to better understand the discipline being commented on. Among his most significant interventions was his explanation of the structure of the La Defénse swimming pool in Paris. Maldifassi illustrated how certain technical features of the facility, such as the shallow depth of the seabed, affected the athletes’ performance, leading to slower competition times than in past editions.

Not only water sports, but also focus on cycling, boxing and athletics to detail all those details that can make the difference in winning an Olympic medal. Details that depend not only on structures or equipment, but also on the technique of the gesture, such as the one that has revolutionised the high jump over the years: from the high jump, to the ventral, to the current Fosbury, named after Dick Fosbury, the first athlete to jump with this style.

All episodes of the Science Olympics column can be seen on Eurosport and on the Discovery Plus website.