05/10/2010 12:00 AM Doha – Aspetar Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital has welcomed a delegation of professional footballers from Denmark and the Faroe Islands to participate in a study researching the effects of exercise in extreme conditions. Arriving at Aspetar on October 4, the Danish footballers, from Danish Second Division teams FC Vanløse, Skjold and Rishøj, along with their Faroe Island colleagues, will participate in a series of laboratory and match play tests to build on existing knowledge and demonstrate the effect of hot environmental temperature on performance, fatigue and health during football matches,. Following on from the soon to be published journal supplement in which a position statement on playing football in heat was prepared in conjunction with FIFA, Aspetar has partnered with Aspire Academy and leading sports science researchers Dr’s. Lars Nybo and Magni Mohr from the University of Copenhagen to conduct the study. “It is well accepted that the capacity to exercise in hot environments is reduced relative to cooler environments,” said Dr Mohammed GA Al Maadheed, Director General of Aspetar. “Factors associated with reduced capacity caused by playing in extreme conditions can be fluctuations in the central nervous system that can lead to a ‘central fatigue’, as well as impairments to cardiovascular functions,” Dr Maadheeh said. The research is expected to evaluate physiological and health responses during and following a football match played in the heat, and to compare performance parameters, recovery, development of fatigue, indices of muscle damage and players’ core and muscle temperature responses, with those of a match played in cooler conditions. Conducting the research here in Qatar, where the weather is still relatively warm, provided the perfect conditions to conduct testing, and the partnership with Scandinavian players, some of whom have never played in conditions like those they will experience in Qatar, especially apt. Dr. Lars Nybo explained. “The choice of Qatar was made easier given our relationship with Aspetar and the leading research capabilities they have at the hospital and Aspire Academy. Clearly Doha, where temperatures are still regularly above 35 degrees Celsius daily, provides conditions which the players [from Denmark and the Faroe Islands] are not used to. This allows us to create the right type of conditions to conduct the type of testing needed to ensure robust scientific data.” The preliminary findings of the study will be presented to the Asian Football Confederation Medical Committee in November. The project is expected to produce several peer-reviewed publications that will be submitted for in early 2010. Given the robust nature of the study the results are expected to gain the attention of international medical and sporting bodies, clubs and federations. Dr. Al Maadheed spoke of the importance of the research to Qatar and the broader sports science community. “A core pillar of Aspetar and the Aspire Zone is to put Qatar on the international map through a research and science capability. This is an aspirational goal which Qataris can be proud of and which we hope will see Qatar lead the region in sports science and research. The collaboration between Aspetar and Aspire and our partnership with the University of Copenhagen is one further example of how the Aspire Zone is succeeding in bringing international expertise to Qatar.”