On 11 February, 29-year-old Mirjam Puchner won silver in the super-G, making it the second medal for the Salzburg team at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Thirteen athletes supported by the Olympic Centre Salzburg (OZ) in Rif are competing at the 2022 Olympic Games. On 8 February, Dani Ulbing (Snowboard Parallel RTL) won the OZ’s its first medal (silver)!

The Olympic Centre is jointly run by the State of Salzburg and the Paris Lodron University. Athletes benefit in particular from the know-how and laboratory equipment of the Department of Sport Science and Kinesiology. The Olympic Centre uses diagnostic equipment to collect data through scientific examinations and to determine athletes’ motor and psychological skills in sport. The use of such devices makes a decisive contribution to the quality of rehabilitation, especially after long-term injuries. Mirjam Puncher spent many hours on various diagnostic devices to compensate for her injury-related limitations in physical strength and coordination.

Olympic Centre Salzburg (OZ) in Rif

Thirteen athletes supported by the OZ Salzburg are competing at the 2022 Olympic Games. The athletes have received top-quality mentoring thanks to the state’s financial support as well as the PLUS and its Department of Sport Science and Kinesiology’s know-how and infrastructure.

The integration into the Department of Sport Science and Kinesiology guarantees that coaching programmes meet scientific criteria. The Olympic Centre aims to provide multi-faceted and interdisciplinary support. It sees great potential in the smooth interaction of the disciplines of sports science, sports medicine, sports physiotherapy, sports psychology and nutritional science for the optimal development of athletic performance. Under these conditions, performance development can be maximised. At the same time, problems can be detected earlier and more easily if the athletes are monitored by a team of experts. Much attention is paid to the cooperation and coordination with those in charge of the respective professional associations.

There are seven Olympic Centres in Austria. These centres are evaluated by the Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC) after each Olympiad to earn the label of “Olympic Centre” again for the next four-year period. The Olympic Centre Salzburg is financially supported – in addition to the State of Salzburg and the PLUS – by the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport and by the ÖOC.

Many of the coaches at the Olympic Centre Salzburg are PLUS graduates, and several are also working on location at the Olympic Games in Beijing.