Training and competing in the heat

Several major sporting events take place in the summer months and often in hot ambient conditions, which have the potential to influence performance and result in heatrelated health issues. In 2014 for example, play was stopped during the Australian tennis Open because of extreme environmental temperatures after some players experienced signs of heat illness (e.g., fainting and vomiting). During the football World Cup in Brazil, play was interrupted to allow players additional cooling and hydration breaks when temperature exceeded 39 °C. In August 2015, the International Association of Athletics Federations Championships will take place in Beijing, where there is a likely chance for high temperatures and humidity. Many other sporting events such as triathlons also take place in hot environmental conditions. The combination of exercise and environmental heat stress has been shown to impair aerobic and intermittent (i.e., team sport) exercise performance. Various physiological and psychological adjustments have been associated with this impairment in performance, including the development of hyperthermia, cardiovascular strain, and dehydration, as well as increased thermal discomfort and decreased motivation. Notwithstanding, several strategies have been developed to help athletes train and compete in the heat. These strategies (e.g., acclimation, cooling) optimize performance and minimize heatrelated health risks for the athletes. In this themed supplement issue, Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital partners with the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports to address the topic of training and competing in the heat. Through both targeted reviews and original investigations, the issue presents the most up-to-date research relating to the mechanisms modulating performance in the heat, the strategies that can be utilized to attenuate the impairment in performance, and various methods to enhance recovery. The supplement also offers specific recommendations to athletes, coaches, and event organizers in a consensus statement, related to heat acclimatization, hydration strategies, and cooling techniques (Racinais et al., 2015). Targeted reviews