Environmental Effects on Performance of Athletes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The pursuit of athletic excellence and the desire to bring honor to their teams and countries has led to significant focus on athletic performance. Athletic performance is impacted by intrinsic characteristics such as athletic aptitude, as well as extrinsic elements such as the physical surroundings. The environmental elements of the physical environment, such as temperature, pollution, altitude, and wind, have a varying impact on sports performance. An elevated ambient temperature leads to an increased elevation of the body's internal temperature, a more rapid occurrence of sweating, and a higher likelihood of dehydration. High levels of humidity hinder the process of perspiration evaporation and the release of heat from athletes' bodies. The future impact of global warming is expected to result in a warmer and more humid regional climate, which could pose greater challenges for athletes. In this review, we examine how the environment affects the health and performance of athletes. Although training in natural settings has numerous documented benefits, its impact on elite athletes' health and performance is less well understood. Some Olympic events are held in natural settings, but the vast majority take place in the host city, which is often a big, densely populated location with minimal exposure to natural environments and high exposure to air, water, and noise pollution. The effects of the environment on Olympic athletes can be better understood with the help of a trans-disciplinary approach, which combines the methods and expertise of various but related fields such as environmental psychology, exercise physiology, biomechanics, environmental science, and epidemiology.