12/07/2010 12:00 AM Aspetar Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital (Aspetar), the official medical support group for the Algerian team at the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010, has provided valuable insight into the physical challenges faced by players at the tournament. With 6 of the 10 stadiums situated more than 1300m above sea level, the challenge of playing at altitude made the physical preparation and management of players more important than at previous World Cups. Dr. Cristiano Eirale, Aspetar Sports Physician, member of the official medical support team for the Algerian National Team at the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010, explained how the Algerian team managed playing in altitudes ranging from 1300-1500m above sea level. “The [Algerian] players were prepared for the conditions following the rigorous pre-tournament programme Aspetar tailored for them ahead of the tournament. Thankfully not one player experienced any adverse reactions to playing at high altitude throughout the tournament.” According to Dr. Cristiano, incidents of general sports injuries in South Africa are greater when playing/ exercising at altitude. “Adapting to a new altitude is difficult because the body’s metabolic processes slow down. Mitigating these effects was central to the programme Aspetar put in place for the Algerian team,” he said. Staff at Aspetar have world-class expertise in altitude training and conditioning. The Doha centre includes onsite facilities such as Normabaric Hypoxic ‘altitude’ rooms where environmental conditions can be matched to those anywhere on the planet. As the only FIFA Accredited Medical Centre of Excellence in the Middle East, Aspetar was in charge of comprehensive medical consultation for the Algerian National Team, including the tracking of fatigue symptoms. Aspetar also provided expert advice on high altitude training and competition. The pre-tournament conditioning program which Aspetar tailored for the Algerian team in Switzerland allowed players to acclimatise to the type of conditions they experienced at grounds such as the appropriately named Peter Mokaba Stadium, Stadium in Polokwane which sits 1310m above sea level. Another major concern for all players at every World Cup is need to play multiple matches in a short period of time as “this shifts the medical focus from maintaining physical conditioning and injury prevention to ensuring players do not experience fatigue through over-exertion,” according to Dr. Cristiano. Aspetar was able to manage this threat for the Algerian team as no player suffered any injuries during training or match play and all responded very well physically to the environmental conditions at each stadium especially during the first two games.. Regarding the other teams he saw in competition at the World Cup, Dr. Cristiano cited the US as having exceptional conditioning. “The United States was very impressive in terms of how well they trained and how they coped with playing at altitude. Having said that, the eventual success of Spain is proof of how well they managed their players throughout the tournament. To be successful at any World Cup you have to plan for the longevity of the tournament,” he said. Dr. Hakim Chalabi, Aspetar Assistant Chief Medical Officer, who headed up the Algerian medical support team at the World Cup said, “The official involvement of Aspetar, is proof that Qatar is the equal of any nation in the world in terms of its world class sports medicine and sports science expertise.”