The Chief Executive of a Manchester technology business talks to Simon Cronin about the part it played in supporting Britain’s athletes this summer.
ISOBAR is one of the unsung heroes of this year’s Games - providing its innovative custom compression sportswear to both the British Cycling and Aquatics GB teams. While the big-name sports companies may have grabbed the limelight in Paris, many British athletes relied on ISOBAR products both while training and competing.
Based on a small industrial estate on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, ISOBAR has made a big impression in the sports world in recent months, signing deals with several elite sporting teams.
Speaking of the Olympics support, Clive Gunther, Chief Executive of ISOBAR, says: “Because of the sponsorship deals that had been signed with the big brands at the Olympics, we couldn’t have any logos on our products, but we’re very proud that we did our bit to contribute to our athletes success.”
Elite Athletes
Under the three-year partnership with British Cycling, ISOBAR is providing personalised recovery with custom compression sportswear for over 50 riders across four disciplines, supporting improved recovery during training and competition.
Dr Steve Faulkner, Great Britain Cycling Team Training Science Lead says: "ISOBAR offers a unique capability to provide custom-fitting compression garments, delivering the desired level of compression to targeted muscles to enhance the recovery process.
“This has maximised our riders' capacity to recover from and adapt to training and racing, ensuring they reach their full potential as we prepared for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. With British Cycling known for leading innovation globally, we firmly believe that ISOBAR shares this value and will contribute to our team's global success."
Although performance and recovery of athletes will remain a focus of the partnership, further research and product development will continue in the areas of athletes’ travel, reducing and preventing injuries and accelerating rehabilitation.
Darren Henry, Commercial Director at British Cycling said: "It’s fantastic to have ISOBAR an industry-leader and Manchester-based business, close to the home of British Cycling, join our family of commercial partners, supporting our Olympic and Paralympic riders as they deliver for world-class performances.”
Clive adds: “After successful trials of our compression system, we were thrilled to partner with British Cycling, an organisation that shares our commitment to excellence and innovation. Cycling demands endurance, strength, and resilience, and our new Sports Compression System is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of cyclists. We look forward to working closely with British Cycling and contributing to the success of their athletes and are particularly proud to have supplied the British Olympic and Paralympic cycling teams for Paris 2024.”
Before signing up with British Cycling, ISOBAR had already agreed a partnership with INEOS Grenadiers Cycling Team to help advance the iconic World Tour Team’s performance and recovery. The INEOS Grenadiers Riders used ISOBAR’s compression sportswear in the Tour of Britain to enhance their recovery. ISOBAR is also providing custom compression solutions to elite sailing team INEOS Britannia for this year’s America Cup.
The partnership with Aquatics GB followed a successful trial at the 2024 World Championship in Doha, where elite swimmers were the first to use the ISOBAR custom sports recovery two-layer system. The athletes provided overwhelmingly positive feedback, praising the custom fit, precise pressure, and accelerated recovery benefits.
Anna Hopkin, Olympic Gold Medallist at Aquatics GB, says: “I really like the ISOBAR sportswear, they’re very useful to have between races and because they’re compact, you can put them in your bag and use them when needed and they massively help aid recovery between heats and finals.
“What makes them really stand out is the options to increase or decrease the compression. Having just the socks or both the socks and calf sleeves readily available means that I can put them both on immediately after a race and it’s a huge advantage for me.”
Hi-tech Health Benefits
ISOBAR’s products are not only proving popular in the world of sport. Dancers at the Royal Ballet used the ISOBAR’s compression socks during their tour of Japan, wearing them during flights and to help with recovery. ISOBAR’s compression socks are also used in the healthcare sector to exert pressure on the legs, improving blood circulation and reducing swelling. The socks work by applying the greatest pressure at the ankle with pressure reducing gradually up the leg to push excess fluids back towards the heart. The socks help with the treatment of leg ulcers, alleviate the symptoms of varicose veins and aid post-surgery recovery by reducing swelling and promoting healing.
Unlike many textile manufacturers, ISOBAR does everything from development and design to manufacturing in-house with a small team of dedicated employees, ensuring a high level of quality can be maintained. The company is always looking for new ways to innovate and recently launched an app which allows the user to take a 3D image of their leg which can then be sent to ISOBAR to create a garment custom-made to the customer’s exact measurements. This innovation will be of great benefit to the health sector as it will not only give the patient the correct support they need, but it will also cut down on waste in the NHS by getting rid of the need to throw away items that don’t fit and dramatically improve compression therapy compliance.
Clive says: “We’ve seen first-hand the difference that a custom-made compression sock can have on a patient. It can literally be life-changing for someone. The problem in the NHS is that they only have set sizes so it’s hard to get an exact fit for a patient. If someone tries a sock and it doesn’t fit, it has to be thrown away, so there’s a lot of waste. Our app will deal with both problems and make the whole process more sustainable.”
With a strong and growing presence in the sports industry and huge opportunities available in the health sector world-wide, ISOBAR looks set to increase its market share even further in the years ahead.
For more information on ISOBAR visit isobar-compression.com