Hyperthermic-Related Challenges in Athletes
Hyperthermic-Related Challenges in Athletes
Swimming, athletics, football, tennis and triathlon are sports that enjoy worldwide participation with large numbers of athletes training and competing at all levels ranging from recreational to elite. The perspectives from these five large International Sports Federations illustrate the dominant influence of environmental conditions on the health and safety, as well as the athletic performance of the elite athlete. In particular, excessive thermal strain poses significant health risk for athletes, as it can lead to life-threatening EHS. Air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, water temperature and water currents greatly affect athlete thermal exposure in these popular sports. Accordingly, modification of activity and event format and increased medical readiness and monitoring are paramount as effective heat stress increases. Moreover, each athlete must be cognisant of and accommodate his or her own personal contributing risk factors to excessive heat strain, including body composition, fitness, heat acclimatisation, sweat and electrolyte loss rates, current and recent health status and clothing/uniform.
As mandated by the Olympic Movement Medical Code, International Sports Federations have an important responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their athletes. In addition, these federations provide important educational support for National Olympic Committees and associated world sport organisations through the provision of factual information on reducing hyperthermic risks for participating athletes, coaches and members of the athlete entourage at all competitive and recreational levels in their respective sports. The International Sports Federations also can play an integral role in promoting and supporting the scientific advancement of knowledge specific to the physiological challenges related to hyperthermia in the elite athlete and the prevention of exertional heat illness and injury. Some of the key research gaps in the field of environmental heat stress in sports relevant to the health and welfare of the elite athlete can be addressed by:
Summary and Conclusion
Swimming, athletics, football, tennis and triathlon are sports that enjoy worldwide participation with large numbers of athletes training and competing at all levels ranging from recreational to elite. The perspectives from these five large International Sports Federations illustrate the dominant influence of environmental conditions on the health and safety, as well as the athletic performance of the elite athlete. In particular, excessive thermal strain poses significant health risk for athletes, as it can lead to life-threatening EHS. Air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, water temperature and water currents greatly affect athlete thermal exposure in these popular sports. Accordingly, modification of activity and event format and increased medical readiness and monitoring are paramount as effective heat stress increases. Moreover, each athlete must be cognisant of and accommodate his or her own personal contributing risk factors to excessive heat strain, including body composition, fitness, heat acclimatisation, sweat and electrolyte loss rates, current and recent health status and clothing/uniform.
As mandated by the Olympic Movement Medical Code, International Sports Federations have an important responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their athletes. In addition, these federations provide important educational support for National Olympic Committees and associated world sport organisations through the provision of factual information on reducing hyperthermic risks for participating athletes, coaches and members of the athlete entourage at all competitive and recreational levels in their respective sports. The International Sports Federations also can play an integral role in promoting and supporting the scientific advancement of knowledge specific to the physiological challenges related to hyperthermia in the elite athlete and the prevention of exertional heat illness and injury. Some of the key research gaps in the field of environmental heat stress in sports relevant to the health and welfare of the elite athlete can be addressed by:
Developing effective methods of measuring and determining hyperthermic risk in the field of play on land and in water.
Establishing evidence-based sport-specific thresholds beyond which competition should be modified or suspended.
Validating the efficacy of specific hydration and heat acclimatisation strategies.
Evaluating the effects of competition uniform modifications that could be incorporated into the rules and regulations of international sport to reduce exertional heat illness risk.
Evaluating the design of training and competition sport facilities and venues to reduce athlete solar radiation exposure and heat accumulation, and incorporating appropriate climate-control design features to reduce excessive heat exposure and hyperthermic-related clinical risk.
Assessing the effects of schedule alteration of training sessions and competitive events (including between-session recovery times) to minimise the risk of accumulated heat exposure and strain.
Determining the early signs and symptoms of developing exertional heat illness in the elite athlete to better enable early identification and intervention.
Critical analysis of the efficacy of on-site interventions in the medical treatment of exertional heat illness.
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