Translating Science Into Practice: The Perspective of the Doha 2019 IAAF World Championships in the Heat

Abstract

Hot and humid ambient conditions may play a major role during the endurance events of the 2019 IAAF world championships, the 2020 summer Olympics and many other sports events. Here, various countermeasures with scientific evidence are put in perspective of their practical application. This manuscript is not a comprehensive review, but rather a set of applied recommendations built upon sound scientific reasoning and experience with elite athletes. The primary recommendation for an athlete who will be competing in the heat, will be to train in the heat. This acclimatization phase should last for 2 weeks and be programmed to accommodate the taper and travel requirements. Despite extensive laboratory-based research, hydration strategies within athletics are generally dictated by the race characteristics. The main opportunities for hydration are during the preparation and recovery phases. In competition, depending on thirst, feeling, and energy requirements, water may be ingested or poured. The athletes should also adapt their warm-up routines to the environmental conditions, as it may do more harm than good. Avoiding harm includes limiting unnecessary heat exposure before the event, warming-up with cooling aids such as ice-vest or cold/iced drinks, and avoiding clothing or accessories limiting sweat evaporation. From a medical perspective, exertional heat stroke should be considered immediately when an athlete collapses or struggles during exercise in the heat with central nervous system disorders. Once a rectal temperature >40.5 • C is confirmed, cooling (via cold water immersion) should be undertaken as soon as possible (cool first/transport second).

Health status, heat preparation strategies and medical events among elite cyclists who competed in the heat at the 2016 UCI Road World Cycling Championships in Qatar

“…The current results show a history of heat-related symptoms (57%) and some incidents of EHI (17%) in elite cyclists. This highlights the need for team doctors to be aware of the four ‘golden rules’ of heat stroke management (ie, early recognition, early diagnosis, rapid cooling, on-site cooling) 19. Our study showed that most elite cyclists use a pre-cooling strategy before competing in the heat, suggesting a need for race organisers to provide supporting facilities such as ice, cold-water bath, ice slurry machine, freezer for ice vest storage, etc.…”

Altitude and Heat Training in Preparation for Competitions in the Heat: A Case Study

“…The observation supports previous evidence that racewalking performance is highly correlated with submaximal exercise economy. 17 Heat acclimation/acclimatization training was implemented with the aim of reducing the performance decrement that can occur when nonacclimated athletes are competing in hot climates, 8,9,11 as part of a periodized program that included regular altitude training blocks. Simulated LHTL was implemented with the aim of increasing hypoxic dose and maintaining training intensity 3 to increase the potential for performance benefit.…”

“…Prior to departure for the Osaka World Championships, the athlete completed a 35-day LHTL block and 6-day post-LHTL recovery period. Concurrently, 1 heat acclimation session was completed per week, consistent with published recommendations for inducing heat adaptations in athletes, especially when combined with heat acclimatization performed immediately prior to major competitions, 1,9 and therefore, 6 sessions in total were implemented prior to the 14-day prerace heat acclimatization period (Kochi, Japan). Details of training sessions and environmental conditions are provided in Table 1.…”

“…2 Prior to competing in hot environments, athletes' preparation strategies may include, depending on their competition schedule and available facilities, heat acclimatization (living and training in a natural similar environment to the competition) 8 or acclimation (repeated heat exposures within a heat chamber/hot room, hot water immersion, or sauna bathing). 1,9 Such strategies may induce adaptations including increased plasma volume, increased sweat rate, decreased core temperature, and reduced submaximal heart rate. 8 However, optimal methods of preparation may be unclear to athletes who wish to use altitude training for improved competition performance, since altitude training locations can be cooler 10 and could inadvertently be deleterious for performance.…”

Correlation Between Estimated Thermoregulatory Responses and Pacing in Athletes During Marathon

“…At the beginning of the race day, the ambient temperature and relative humidity (RH) were 33 °C and 73%, respectively. This low completion rate may be attributed to environmental heat or related to exertional heat stroke [8]. Similar to the Doha race, substantial attention was paid to acclimation to the environment in Tokyo 2021 [9,10].…”