Science and slushies to beat the heat at the Qatar World Cup

Seasoned midfielders could lose up to three liters of sweat during La Liga matches. World Cup in Qatar, But the fast-paced world of sports science is there to help players maintain performance that may have been weakened in previous years.

Although the tournament has been moved to November-December next year, temperatures will remain in an average high range of 20 ° Celsius and conditions will continue to be harsh for many players, especially those coming directly from colder regions and with a window of acclimatization of only one week.

A sip of water and an orange at halftime are not going to be enough for elite athletes, where a momentary drop in performance, whether physical or mental, could spell the difference between glory and disgrace.

Deterioration of acuity and focus from dehydration is well documented, but only more recently have coaches and players come to terms with the benefits of individually customized products that replace key electrolytes and minerals lost during heavy sweating.

“In football, what you’re doing before and after becomes more and more important,” said Jack Wilson, sports scientist at the UK-based Porsche Human Performance Center.

“So we will educate them on the need to preload fluids and electrolytes, particularly sodium. We will analyze the athlete’s sweat, we will take detailed measurements to understand what they are losing with sweat and we will design a hydration plan for the before, during and after. Focusing on hydration after a game becomes really important. “

Andy Blow, an elite extriathlete and co-founder of Precision Hydration, a company specializing in sweat and nutrition testing, says that soccer as a sport has been a little late to the party, but that most of the world’s leading teams are now showing interest.

“I would say that in the last ten years I have seen more teams begin to consider the individualization of what they do,” Blow explained.

“Definitely, soccer is still, in part, a traditional sport, and there are people in soccer who do not want to embrace new technologies and new ways, but there is an increase in a race of leaders, players and coaches who are very focused. in science and human performance ”.

And there are many options to adapt to the new times.

“In addition to hydration and acclimatization, I know that teams and players are looking for things like cooling jackets and ice cold drinks before games to help control the temperature. Some teams even have their own slush machines.

“When you have an ice cold drink before exercising in the heat, you can actually lower your body temperature because that bolus of ice has to be converted to water, and the phase change from ice to water consumes a lot of heat energy.”

The other big development to be showcased in Qatar will be stadium cooling technology, which basically blows cold air across the pitch using different systems.

“Regardless of the temperature and wind outside, even if there is a dust storm, the interior will remain at 22 ° -23 ° centigrade and with the best air quality in all of Doha,” said Saud Abdulghani, professor of engineering. Mechanics at the University of Qatar.

“The cold air reaches the spectators, it is cooled again, it is filtered and it is blown across the field. It is a good air for the temperature and the humidity ”, he emphasized.

As with all science, those at the forefront are always looking to learn more.

“What is always evolving and adapting is what we can do for players to help them cope in the best way possible: ways to acclimate to the heat and ways to monitor athletes’ stress using different technologies,” Wilson said.

“So there is a lot of room for development that we are seeing even now, and we are testing a portable core temperature meter, which is different from traditional means of measuring core temperature, which could have implications for the athlete and the preparation of an athlete, “he added.