ITU’s third edition of the biannual Science and Technology conference took place last week at INSEP, France’s National Institute of Sports, with great success. The scenic training centre was the perfect setting for the two-day seminar that explored various topics related to triathlon and training.

ITU President and IOC member Marisol Casado opened the conference, along with INSEP’s Director General Jean-Pierre De Vincenzi.

“We began this conference six years ago because we wanted to create an environment that promotes further research in triathlon. As a young sport, we’ve experimented with many formats and best practices in the last 26 years, which has made us a leader in sports research,” Casado said in her opening speech on the importance of the conference.

I had the honor to open the congress #scienceTriathlon to the highly-rated of Mrs Casado @MarisolCasado #ITU @FFTRI pic.twitter.com/DiwHZPwcdc— De Vincenzi JP (@jpdevincenzi) November 26, 2015

With more than 250 participants from over 45 countries, the conference boasted participants from as far as Australia and New Zealand with representatives from every continent traveling to France to learn how they can better improve their triathletes.

More than 250 people are attending the ITU conference at INSEP during these two days #ScienceTriathlon pic.twitter.com/NzB5BTjm6L— INSEP (@INSEP_PARIS) November 26, 2015

With a focus on “Peaking for Rio, preparing for Tokyo and beyond”, presentations included case studies on successful athletes, research on best training practices, information on optimal nutrition and training in extreme conditions, among many more topics.

The line-up of speakers included renowned coaches like Darren Smith, Sergio Santos, and Joel Filliol, who offered tried and true insight on training triathletes to success.

Success factors 4 @simonwhitfield’s consistent career by @joelfilliol. Student of the sport always.#ScienceTriathlon pic.twitter.com/4IyowJejBH— Paul Laursen (@PaulBLaursen) November 28, 2015

Many recognized scientists and experts, such as ITU Medical Delegate Chair Sergio Migliorini, sport scientists Dr. Christophe Hausswirth and Dr. Yann Le Meur, as well as physiologists Iñigo Mujika and Paul Laursen.

Training in the Heat: very clear presentation, as usual, by @YLMSportScience : Nice job !! #ScienceTriathlon – Paris pic.twitter.com/9MY3UBhkIU— Sylvain Dorel (@SylvDorel) November 28, 2015

The combination of…