London: Not just fast, but cool too.

That is how sportswear manufacturers describe their latest suits designed to help Olympic competitors fight the summer heat in Athens.

Expect to hear a lot this month about built-in evaporation systems, personal air conditioning and strategically-placed ventilation as the world’s leading brands explain how their latest technologies give athletes that crucial edge.

“The main challenge for Olympic athletes will be keeping cool and in Athens’ heat the body’s main mechanism is sweat evaporation,” said George Havenith, a Loughborough University researcher who advised Adidas on their new ClimaCool range. “The closer to your skin sweat evaporates, the bigger the advantage — and that’s where the right clothing can help.”

ClimaCool is made from four fabrics designed for different parts of the body depending on how much sweat or heat is produced there, said James Lamont, head of the company’s clothing innovation team.

“A lot of sweat is produced in the chest area, so we use a three-dimensional fabric there to aid evaporation by letting air flow near the skin,” Lamont said.

The suit also includes conductive cooling tape behind the neck where heat is given off, and a panel of fabric sewn in to act as a “chimney” channelling air down the back — one of the body's sweatiest areas. Scientists have found other ways to help athletes cope before and after their events.

Nike is providing pre-cool jackets, vests filled with 12 cooled gel packs that can be worn for an hour before competing, and uniforms with ventilation panels. “If you apply pre-cooling your body temperature will be lower to start with but rise at the same rate,” Havenith said.

Three teams — Britain, the United States and China — also have the use of CoreControl, a product designed by US company Avacore Technologies and normally used to help workers cool quickly when their body temperature gets dangerously high. “It looks like a coffee pot with a beer can in it, which you grip,” said Avacore Chief Executive Ron Piasecki.

The Dutch rowing team is placing its trust in a new kit developed by DSM and the Dutch Institute of Applied Research which disperses body heat by allowing sweat to evaporate more efficiently, and also reflects the sun’s rays.

The uniform will cover more of the rower’s body than normal suits and the developers say it can improve performance by up to three per cent.

Away from the marketing hoopla, however, some say traditional methods are the best way to beat the heat.