Scientific and technological developments are becoming increasingly important in contributing to the success of athletes, as recent medal triumphs in the Sochi Winter Olympics have shown.

The use of technology has always been an important factor in preparation, but development has also been increasingly pivotal in creating a level playing field, while also providing athletes with the best possible tools to ply their quarry in a tournament setting.

In terms of training, motion capturing tech is used to help train figure skaters when preparing for jumps.

Devices are used to track the shape of the athlete while in the air, as well as measuring all of their angles and points of impact when hitting the ice after a jump. This allows trainers to help improve body positioning, while also providing competitors with a pictorial understanding of how their body is working.

Other tools to help preparation include the use of lasers adopted by Biathlon athletes. When competing in the Winter Olympics, competitors proceed straight from a ski sprint into a shooting round, where they compete in a rapid fire drill process.

Given the pace they've previously skied at, the impact of a thumping heartbeat can be detrimental to accuracy, as too can the development of muscle twitches following intense exercise.

Therefore athletes train using lasers in order to learn to get their shots off in a mere seven seconds to prevent these factors impacting on their performance.

In terms of improving equipment, the Canadian curling team have been using a progressive brush head device that helps to increase ice temperature and allow the stone to move with more efficiency.

Away from factors that require investment from country's sporting bodies or corporate sponsorships, organisations and federations are also using technology to help level the playing field for athletes with poor access or less funding.

For example, The International Olympic Committee has implemented a scheme to take on poorer athletes and supply them with more progressive equipment prior to competing.

In skiing, a new ski jump monitoring system is being used, with algorithms removing the impact of nature by factoring in the role of wind speed and direction for each skier taking part in order to create a fairer result when assessing performances.