TY - JOUR

T1 - The road to the Beijing Winter Olympics and beyond: Opinions and perspectives on physiology and innovation in winter sport

AU - Wang, Jun

AU - Guan, Hongwei

AU - Hostrup, Morten

AU - Rowlands, David S

AU - González-Alonso, José

AU - Jensen, Jørgen

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, and China strengthens research on various aspects to allow their athletes to compete successfully in winter sport. Simultaneously, Government-directed initiatives aim to increase public participation in recreational winter sport. These parallel developments allow research to advance knowledge and understanding of the physiological determinants of performance and health related to winter sport. Winter sport athletes often conduct a substantial amount of training with high volumes of low-to-moderate exercise intensity and lower volumes of high-intensity work. Moreover, much of the training occur at low ambient temperatures and winter sport athletes have high risk of developing asthma or asthma-related conditions, such as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. The high training volumes require optimal nutrition with increased energy and dietary protein requirement to stimulate muscle protein synthesis response in the post-exercise period. Whether higher protein intake is required in the cold should be investigated. Cross-country skiing is performed mostly in Northern hemisphere with a strong cultural heritage and sporting tradition. It is expected that innovative initiatives on recruitment and training during the next few years will target to enhance performance of Chinese athletes in classical endurance-based winter sport. The innovation potential coupled with resourcing and population may be substantial with the potential for China to become a significant winter sport nation. This paper discusses the physiological aspects of endurance training and performance in winter sport highlighting areas where innovation may advance in athletic performance in cold environments. In addition, to ensure sustainable development of snow sport, a quality ski patrol and rescue system is recommended for the safety of increasing mass participation.

AB - Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, and China strengthens research on various aspects to allow their athletes to compete successfully in winter sport. Simultaneously, Government-directed initiatives aim to increase public participation in recreational winter sport. These parallel developments allow research to advance knowledge and understanding of the physiological determinants of performance and health related to winter sport. Winter sport athletes often conduct a substantial amount of training with high volumes of low-to-moderate exercise intensity and lower volumes of high-intensity work. Moreover, much of the training occur at low ambient temperatures and winter sport athletes have high risk of developing asthma or asthma-related conditions, such as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. The high training volumes require optimal nutrition with increased energy and dietary protein requirement to stimulate muscle protein synthesis response in the post-exercise period. Whether higher protein intake is required in the cold should be investigated. Cross-country skiing is performed mostly in Northern hemisphere with a strong cultural heritage and sporting tradition. It is expected that innovative initiatives on recruitment and training during the next few years will target to enhance performance of Chinese athletes in classical endurance-based winter sport. The innovation potential coupled with resourcing and population may be substantial with the potential for China to become a significant winter sport nation. This paper discusses the physiological aspects of endurance training and performance in winter sport highlighting areas where innovation may advance in athletic performance in cold environments. In addition, to ensure sustainable development of snow sport, a quality ski patrol and rescue system is recommended for the safety of increasing mass participation.

KW - Asthma

KW - Cross-country skiing

KW - Endurance training

KW - Exercise physiology

KW - Maximal oxygen uptake

KW - Protein

KW - Ski patrol

KW - Temperature

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85119533747&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s42978-021-00133-1

DO - 10.1007/s42978-021-00133-1

M3 - Review

C2 - 36304069

AN - SCOPUS:85119533747

VL - 3

SP - 321

EP - 331

JO - Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise

JF - Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise

SN - 2096-6709

IS - 4

ER -