The advantage Australian athletes have over most competitors at the Tokyo Olympics

Australian athletes are is heading into the Tokyo Olympics with an advantage over most of their international competitors, and it could see them walk away with more medals.

With Japan’s time zone one hour behind the east coast of Australia, and an hour ahead of the west coast, athletes do not have to worry about jetlag.

Researcher at RMIT’s College of Business, Dr Stephen Jasper, says it’s a a “small factor” but it can be the difference between gold and silver.

“We did very poorly in Rio and having flown to South America myself, that’s an exhausting flight,” he told Ross and Russel.

“AM becomes PM, PM becomes AM and you’re very disoriented.”

Competitors from China and South Korea will also have an advantage in Tokyo due to having similar time zones to Japan, while Europe and the US will be at a disadvantage.

Press PLAY below to hear more about how jetlag is expected to affect results at the Olympics