Swimming and Cycling: Health & Participation

This assignment delves into the realms of swimming and cycling, examining their impact on health, participation rates, and the economy. Students will analyze research articles covering various aspects like health economics, participation patterns across age groups, the influence of elite success on mass participation, and even the psychological experiences of athletes in these sports. The focus is on understanding the trends and dynamics shaping these popular sporting activities.

Running head: EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Effective Business Communication
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Executive Summary:
The report is discussion on two chosen sports of Australia. One of the sports is swimming
and the other cycling. The report gives a brief overview of both the sports that includes cost
and benefits. There is also discussion on the growth of both the sports in not only Australia
but also worldwide. The report also describes the participation trends of both the sports over
times along with a discussion on the future trends. There are also recommendations provided
on the future funding of each of the sport. The report mentions how the funding for
swimming aided by the personal excellence grant section of Swimming Australia whereas the
fund for cycling can come from Nick Green, the CEO of Cycling Australia.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
1. Overview of the Chosen Sports.............................................................................................4
Swimming:.................................................................................................................................4
Cycling:......................................................................................................................................5
2. Growth of the Sport in Australia or Worldwide.....................................................................6
Swimming:.................................................................................................................................6
Cycling:......................................................................................................................................6
3. Participation Trends for each of the Sports over Time..........................................................7
Participation Trends in Swimming.............................................................................................7
Participation Trends in Cycling.................................................................................................8
4. Future Trends of the Chosen Sport........................................................................................9
Swimming:.................................................................................................................................9
Cycling:....................................................................................................................................10
5. Recommendations for Future Funding for each Chosen Sport............................................10
Swimming:...............................................................................................................................10
Cycling:....................................................................................................................................11
Conclusion:..............................................................................................................................11
References:...............................................................................................................................12

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Introduction:
The report gives a detailed research on two sports conducted in Australia. The chosen
sport for this report includes swimming and cycling. However, sports in the continent have
been national obsession from time immemorial. Right from hitting the tennis ball on local
courts with the friends to participating in organized football competition, the Australians
remain very much a part of sports. This sometimes makes it difficult in determining the most
popular sport in the country. However, for some Australians playing the sport at any given
level is all that matters while others consider being a registered player number. There are
many for whom the factors such as revenue generation, figures related to attendance and
performance on the global stage is a matter of concern. Sport in Australia played in varied
forms. However, the report discusses the sports based on the level of participation
irrespective of the age and discusses about the growth, participation trends, future trends and
funding.
1. Overview of the Chosen Sports
The chosen sports include Swimming and Cycling. The overview of each of the
chosen sport is as follows:
Swimming:
Swimming represents a popular sport in Australia with approximately 3.147 million
people taking part in it. Almost a close percentage of 48.8% children between the age group
of 6 to 13 years take part in it although the figures drop to about 10.1 % for the adults in the
age group of 14 years and above (Light, Harvey & Memmert, 2013). Parents in Australia take
an interest in teaching their children to swim at a very young age. Thus, most of the children
make them a part of the swimming competition at the primary school level.

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The amount of time dedicated to this sport fluctuates between two to ten hours
depending on whether the participant is taking up a swimming career or is doing it as a part
of his passion (De Bosscher, Sotiriadou, & van Bottenburg, 2013). Australia spent around
$38 million in supporting Alicia Counts in winning her Olympic gold medal in London. In
spite of the massive spending by the Federal Government, the Australian swim team had to
survive on less than minimum wage of $20,000 per year.
Swimming however has various health benefits since it represents a sport that is never
too late for starting (Bherer, Erickson & Liu-Ambrose, 2013). Swimming refers to an
excellent means for being active and ensures lasting benefits in the form of strong bones,
healthy lungs, heart, arteries, flexibility and posture. This sport also reduces the chance of
being obese or overweight. Swimming also entails the participants with valuable skills of life
like discipline, goal setting, belonging and friendship, teamwork and the ability of saving
someone else’s life.
Cycling:
Cycling is one of the second most popular sports for the adults in Australia. Around,
2.343 million Australians become a part of the sport. The country has developed a love for
the sport from the moment when the first bike was imported to the country (Zander et al.,
2013). People in Australia also cycle for the purpose of transportation and recreation. Thus,
riding has become a common activity in Australia. A great cycling goal achieved with
training over a period of 10 to 12 weeks although it can achieved in a matter of 8 weeks.
While training the distance should not increase on a weekly basis as, it can cause injuries.
The state and territory government of Australia spent around $3.7 million in
encouraging and promoting the use of bicycle in addition to spending around $93.8 million
for building the facilities and infrastructure. Australia had a road related expenditure of about

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$15.8 billion (Jolly, 2013). This is equivalent to about $4.20 cents per person. The
environmental, economic and social benefits of cycling has forced both the state level as well
as the common wealth in setting targets related to bicycle use although in reality it was found
to be quite low.
Cycling as a sport entails many health benefits for the participants. The sport not only
improves mental wellbeing but also helps in promoting weight loss. Cycling also helps in
building muscles and ensures better lung health (Deenihan & Caulfield, 2014). Cycling also
reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer. The sport also helps the participant to sleep
better thereby boosting brainpower. Through cycling, not only the navigational skills are
improved but also the immune system strengthened.
2. Growth of the Sport in Australia or Worldwide
Swimming:
The growth of swimming as a sport in Australia has been quite impressive since the
peak governing body for this sport has recorded a registered member close to 100,000 across
1100 clubs across the country that included coaches, swimmers, administrators, officials and
volunteers (Howells & Fletcher, 2015). Australia also has a governing body known as
Swimming Australia whose vision is to make enhance the growth of swimming as a sport
through outstanding performance, commercial excellence and increased participation.
Australian swimmers have also been a regular feature at the Olympic Games.
According to the survey carried by National Sporting Goods Association, swimming
has been the third most popular sport in the United States based on the rate of participation.
Statistics shows that there has been an increase trend in the participation rate for this sport.

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Cycling:
The cycling as a sport had a growth phase under the supervision of Charlie Walsh
who has been the cycling coach at a national level from the year 1980 to the year 2001(Beck
et al., 2017). Under his supervision, the international ranking of the sport moved from 20 and
30 in the track-cycling category to first in the nation and third at the Summer Olympics of
2000 in Sydney.
Cycling as a sport also gathered recognition worldwide. For instance in USA, the
sport has a official governing body that focuses on achieving sustained success in the cycling
competition held internationally and at the same time support the growth of competitive
cycling in United States. USA cycling has around 2400 clubs and teams and around 70000
licenses including that of coaches, mechanics, competitive cyclist and officials (Henning &
Dimeo, 2015). The figure itself determines the popularity of the sport. The country recorded a
steady growth in the participation rate of the sport to about 63 percent from the year 2002.
3. Participation Trends for each of the Sports over Time
Participation Trends in Swimming

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Figure 1: Participation Trend in Swimming
Source: (Knechtle, Rosemann & Rüst, 2014)
Swimming considered as a common sporting activity in Australia with participation
trend of about one in every two kids and one in every ten adults taking a plunge according to
the latest National Sports Participation report.
The combination of data derived from a survey carried out in December 2014 on
Australians at the age group of 14+ and the kids in the age group of 6 to 13 years showed that
one in every seven Australian goes swimming on a regular basis that is around 14.4%
( Sotiriadou & Wicker, 2014).
Combining data for the year to December 2014 from the Single Source survey of
Australians aged 14+ and the Young Australians survey of kids aged 6-13 shows that overall
one in seven Australians regularly go swimming (14.4%)
Participation Trends in Cycling

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Figure 2: Participating Trend of Cycling
Source: (Olivier, Walter & Grzebieta, 2013)
The participation trend of cycling in New South Wales had a decreasing trend
between the year 2015 and 2017 that was significantly below the baseline that persisted in the
year 2011. However, Victoria and South Australia experienced a significant decrease in the
participation rate of cycling between the 2011 and 2013 that stabilized afterwards.
Queensland however had a small decline in the participation trend of cycling between the
year 2011and 2015 with some trends of improvements in the year 2017. There was no
significant change in the participation trend in the Northern territory (Fishman, Washington,
& Haworth, 2013). Western Australia showed a slight decline in the participation trend which
was balanced with a steep jump by the year 2015. The capital territory of Australia however
showed an increased participation in cycling.

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The Australian Capital Territory may have experienced in increase in cycling participation,
although this is only evident from the 2017 data and does not reflect a trend observed over
the survey period.
4. Future Trends of the Chosen Sport
Swimming:
The future trends in Swimming include:
1. Participants targeting to become a one sport Athlete: The trend is increased number
of participants are solely dedicated to single sport specialization that makes them a one-sport
athlete unlike previous times when participants focused on multiple sports.
2. Increased importance of cross training: Due to the likelihood of the people for
participating in a single sport will be an increased requirement for cross training for avoiding
any kind of injuries occurred due to repetitive motion.
3. Evolvement of athletic specific food and beverage: There has been a new discovery
related to the diet of the swimmers that are available in the form of shake mixes and protein
bars (Hendrickx et al., 2016). In addition, there are also newer discoveries related to calories,
fats and carbohydrate that will have an influence on the diet of the athlete.
4. Influence of technology: With the availability of wearable technology, there is a
chance of increased tracking and enhanced data driven training taking place inside the pool
(Lepers et al., 2013). There is a possibility of availability of the digitally connected swimsuits
that will be possess the capability of monitoring stroke rate, speed and various different sets
of data.

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Cycling:
The future trends of cycling greatly impacted by technology. Thus, the future trends include
(Boufous & Olivier, 2015):
1. Use of Disc Brakes: The use of the disc brakes provides the bike owner with the
facility where he does not have to remove the wheels for looking at the disc brake system.
The brake system also possesses a better power for stopping.
2. Availability of Electric bikes: The electric brakes ensure easier commutation and
are fun to ride. These bikes require much lesser effort as it allows easy operation. These bikes
allows commutation in the hills have lesser impact on the health.
3. Availability of smarter turbo: The availability of the turbo trainers allows
connectivity and computation with Smartphone and allows replicating the resistance that
gives the feel of riding indoors.
4. Availability of tubeless tires and rims: The tubeless tires are puncture proof and
prevent avoiding sudden air loss in case of puncture.
5. Recommendations for Future Funding for each Chosen Sport
Swimming:
The future funding for swimming can come from the personal excellence grant
section of Swimming Australia. They offer the winning edge category of the athletes for
nomination with the help of personal excellence advisor. However, the personal excellence
coordinator of Swimming Australia sanctions the funding. In order to avail the funds it is
necessary to contact the state based Personal Excellence Advisor.

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Cycling:
The future funding for cycling in Australia can come from Nick Green who is the
CEO of organization known as Cycling Australia. This will also act as a motivating factor for
country in racing towards the Olympics of 2020.
Conclusion:
The report ends by providing recommendations on the future funding of Australia for
both swimming and cycling. There is also discussion on the participation trends of swimming
and cycling over time. The report also discusses about the growth of both the sports in
Australia and worldwide. There is also a brief discussion on the each of the chosen sport of
Australia that allows one develop various insights. The report also provides an interesting
viewpoint on the Australia’s obsession about the various types of sports.

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References:
Beck, B. R., Daly, R. M., Singh, M. A. F., & Taaffe, D. R. (2017). Exercise and Sports
Science Australia (ESSA) position statement on exercise prescription for the
prevention and management of osteoporosis. Journal of science and medicine in
sport, 20(5), 438-445.
Bherer, L., Erickson, K. I., & Liu-Ambrose, T. (2013). Physical exercise and brain functions
in older adults. Journal of aging research, 2013.
Boufous, S., & Olivier, J. (2015). Recent trends in cyclist fatalities in Australia. Injury
prevention, injuryprev-2015.
De Bosscher, V., Sotiriadou, P., & van Bottenburg, M. (2013). Scrutinizing the sport pyramid
metaphor: an examination of the relationship between elite success and mass
participation in Flanders. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 5(3),
319-339.
Deenihan, G., & Caulfield, B. (2014). Estimating the health economic benefits of
cycling. Journal of Transport & Health, 1(2), 141-149.
Fishman, E., Washington, S., & Haworth, N. (2013). Bike share: a synthesis of the literature.
Transport reviews, 33(2), 148-165.
Hendrickx, D., Stephen, A., Lehmann, D., Silva, D., Boelaert, M., Carapetis, J., & Walker, R.
(2016). A systematic review of the evidence that swimming pools improve health and
wellbeing in remote Aboriginal communities in Australia. Australian and New
Zealand journal of public health, 40(1), 30-36.

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Henning, A. D., & Dimeo, P. (2015). Questions of fairness and anti-doping in US cycling:
The contrasting experiences of professionals and amateurs. Drugs: education,
prevention and policy, 22(5), 400-409.
Howells, K., & Fletcher, D. (2015). Sink or swim: adversity-and growth-related experiences
in Olympic swimming champions. Psychology of sport and exercise, 16, 37-48.
Jolly, R. (2013). Sports funding: Federal balancing act. Parliamentary Library: Information
Analysis Advice Commonwealth of Australia.
Knechtle, B., Rosemann, T., & Rüst, C. A. (2014). Participation and performance trends by
nationality in the ‘English Channel Swim’from 1875 to 2013. BMC sports science,
medicine and rehabilitation, 6(1), 34.
Lepers, R., Rüst, C. A., Stapley, P. J., & Knechtle, B. (2013). Relative improvements in
endurance performance with age: evidence from 25 years of Hawaii Ironman
racing. Age, 35(3), 953-962.
Light, R. L., Harvey, S., & Memmert, D. (2013). Why children join and stay in sports clubs:
Case studies in Australian, French and German swimming clubs. Sport, Education and
Society, 18(4), 550-566.
Olivier, J., Walter, S. R., & Grzebieta, R. H. (2013). Long term bicycle related head injury
trends for New South Wales, Australia following mandatory helmet
legislation. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 50, 1128-1134.
Sotiriadou, P., & Wicker, P. (2014). Examining the participation patterns of an ageing
population with disabilities in Australia. Sport Management Review, 17(1), 35-48.

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Zander, A., Passmore, E., Mason, C., & Rissel, C. (2013). Joy, exercise, enjoyment, getting
out: a qualitative study of older people's experience of cycling in Sydney,
Australia. Journal of environmental and public health, 2013.