Quite a few of the amazing performances seen at the recently concluded London 2012 Olympic Games were enabled by highly engineered materials and design. Over the years, materials science has been key to many improvements in sports performance. Today, from high-tech sports apparel like compression garments, swimsuits and running shoes to designer equipment like ultra-light bicycles, super-flexible vaulting poles, and composite bows enable elite athletes to achieve a level of performance unthinkable even a decade ago. Welcome to the new Science Olympiad....