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Feeling the heat in sport
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 17 (2014) 149
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jsams
Editorial
Feeling the heat in sport
As the final preparations were taking place for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, and the organisers were marvelling at the perfect weather conditions of sub-freezing temperatures for the snow and ice that is required for best performance at such an event, across the other side of the world, our elite tennis players were battling the heat of their game in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius at the Australian Open Tennis Championships (the first Grand Slam event for the year). In fact, temperatures soared as high as 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) during some matches. According to the New York Times, the effect of playing the tournament in these conditions resulted in one player hallucinating and fainting, and the soles of one player’s shoes melting, as did the bottom of another player’s water bottle. Extremes of temperature are not uncommon in sport. Often summer sport is played in extreme conditions at both an elite and a junior level. What is important is that appropriate heat management policies are in place and enforced when required. Whilst this is more commonplace in higher level and professional sport, administrators of junior sport need to ensure that they are cognisant of environmental conditions that may impact on the health and wellbeing of their players. Many of the world’s leading sports medicine organisations have adopted position stands and guidelines on heat and hydration in sport. The American College of Sports Medicine, for example, has the “Exertional Heat Illness During Training and Competition” position stand and Sports Medicine Australia has their “Beat the Heat” fact sheet and “Hot Weather Guidelines”. Whilst these position stands and guidelines are available, they key is how well sporting organisations take this expert advice, adapt it to their specific circumstances, and then, most importantly, implement it. There were some criticisms at the Australian Open Tennis Championships that players were not made fully aware of the tournament’s extreme heat policy. Perhaps this is a cue for better briefing when it is likely extreme temperatures will be in place. There is no shortage of research in the area of sports medicine and sports science on exercising and playing sport in extreme heat conditions. As a research and practice community we should be proud of the advances made in this area and that our scientists
take the matter so seriously. Whilst some of this research focuses on performance in heat conditions, other research has addressed the health and wellbeing of participants playing in such conditions. What is even more important than the research itself is the translation of its findings to athletes and their coaches. It is not just the responsibility of individual players to be aware of the specific requirements for playing in extreme heat, but also of the organisations in which they participate in their sport. A true team effort is required for safe participation in extreme heat conditions. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight just a few of papers that we have published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport in the past couple of years that have focussed on heat and sport. Kilduff et al.1 examined the influence of passive heat maintenance on lower body power output and sprint performance in rugby league players. Almudehki et al.2 investigated the effects of exposure to hot ambient conditions on cycling sprint performance. Aughey et al.3 researched hydration status and core temperature of elite athletes during activity in hot and cool conditions. I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Our wide range of papers cover areas including stress reactions in bone, groin pain in football, injury prevention programs in children, patellar tendinopathy in rugby, the role of exercise in treating depression, GPS and accelerometer technology in swimming, and the effect of binge drinking on recovery and performance. References 1. Kilduff LP, West DJ, Williams N et al. The influence of passive heat maintenance on lower body power output and repeated sprint performance in professional rugby league players. J Sci Med Sport 2013; 16:482–486. 2. Almudehki F, Girard O, Grantham J et al. Hot ambient conditions do not alter intermittent cycling sprit performance. J Sci Med Sport 2012; 15:148–152. 3. Aughey RJ, Goodman CA, McKenna MJ. Greater chance of high core temperatures with modified pacing strategy during team sport in the heat. J Sci Med Sport 2014; 17:113–118.
1440-2440/$ – see front matter © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Sports Medicine Australia. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.01.003
Gregory S. Kolt (PhD) Editor-in-Chief
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jsams
Editorial
Feeling the heat in sport
As the final preparations were taking place for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, and the organisers were marvelling at the perfect weather conditions of sub-freezing temperatures for the snow and ice that is required for best performance at such an event, across the other side of the world, our elite tennis players were battling the heat of their game in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius at the Australian Open Tennis Championships (the first Grand Slam event for the year). In fact, temperatures soared as high as 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) during some matches. According to the New York Times, the effect of playing the tournament in these conditions resulted in one player hallucinating and fainting, and the soles of one player’s shoes melting, as did the bottom of another player’s water bottle. Extremes of temperature are not uncommon in sport. Often summer sport is played in extreme conditions at both an elite and a junior level. What is important is that appropriate heat management policies are in place and enforced when required. Whilst this is more commonplace in higher level and professional sport, administrators of junior sport need to ensure that they are cognisant of environmental conditions that may impact on the health and wellbeing of their players. Many of the world’s leading sports medicine organisations have adopted position stands and guidelines on heat and hydration in sport. The American College of Sports Medicine, for example, has the “Exertional Heat Illness During Training and Competition” position stand and Sports Medicine Australia has their “Beat the Heat” fact sheet and “Hot Weather Guidelines”. Whilst these position stands and guidelines are available, they key is how well sporting organisations take this expert advice, adapt it to their specific circumstances, and then, most importantly, implement it. There were some criticisms at the Australian Open Tennis Championships that players were not made fully aware of the tournament’s extreme heat policy. Perhaps this is a cue for better briefing when it is likely extreme temperatures will be in place. There is no shortage of research in the area of sports medicine and sports science on exercising and playing sport in extreme heat conditions. As a research and practice community we should be proud of the advances made in this area and that our scientists
take the matter so seriously. Whilst some of this research focuses on performance in heat conditions, other research has addressed the health and wellbeing of participants playing in such conditions. What is even more important than the research itself is the translation of its findings to athletes and their coaches. It is not just the responsibility of individual players to be aware of the specific requirements for playing in extreme heat, but also of the organisations in which they participate in their sport. A true team effort is required for safe participation in extreme heat conditions. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight just a few of papers that we have published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport in the past couple of years that have focussed on heat and sport. Kilduff et al.1 examined the influence of passive heat maintenance on lower body power output and sprint performance in rugby league players. Almudehki et al.2 investigated the effects of exposure to hot ambient conditions on cycling sprint performance. Aughey et al.3 researched hydration status and core temperature of elite athletes during activity in hot and cool conditions. I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Our wide range of papers cover areas including stress reactions in bone, groin pain in football, injury prevention programs in children, patellar tendinopathy in rugby, the role of exercise in treating depression, GPS and accelerometer technology in swimming, and the effect of binge drinking on recovery and performance. References 1. Kilduff LP, West DJ, Williams N et al. The influence of passive heat maintenance on lower body power output and repeated sprint performance in professional rugby league players. J Sci Med Sport 2013; 16:482–486. 2. Almudehki F, Girard O, Grantham J et al. Hot ambient conditions do not alter intermittent cycling sprit performance. J Sci Med Sport 2012; 15:148–152. 3. Aughey RJ, Goodman CA, McKenna MJ. Greater chance of high core temperatures with modified pacing strategy during team sport in the heat. J Sci Med Sport 2014; 17:113–118.
1440-2440/$ – see front matter © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Sports Medicine Australia. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.01.003
Gregory S. Kolt (PhD) Editor-in-Chief