South African national swimming team undergoes altitude training at Aspetar

After the session, seven athletes and their coach have used the hospital’s advanced altitude-inducing normobaric hypoxic (oxygen reduced) rooms within Aspetar and Aspire Zone’s Hamad Aquatic Centre.

Aspetar was also able to develop a long-term strategy for the athletes, incorporating altitude as part of their ongoing training programme. Each swimmer also had their sleeping and eating habits monitored, as well as the response to altitude.

It is learnt that altitude camps have helped athletes perform well in competitions due to increased oxygen and haemoglobin levels in their bodies.

“We work closely with a number of clubs and professional athletes to optimise their performance levels, both individually and as a team. Part of this commitment includes collecting data from the visiting teams in order to conduct applied research, which, we hope, will help athletes perform better in the future,” said Dr Khalifa al-Kuwari, director-general at Aspetar.

He added that their experts have also offered comprehensive guidance and advice to the team throughout the training sessions.

Aspetar has 25 rooms in the purpose-built normobaric hypoxic dormitory, in addition to a large communal living area. The chamber, which houses a complex filtration system, reduces the concentration of oxygen in the air to replicate altitudes ranging from 100m to 4,000m.

One of its kind in the region, the facility also has mobile hypoxic inflatable simulation equipment, comprising a 45m-long tent for sprints and a 10x8m tent for small-sided games.

Combined with the simulation tents, Aspetar can accommodate “live-high-train-high” or “live-low-train-high” training regimes.

Both Aspetar and Aspire Zone will regularly host top-tier sports teams to assist world-class athletes gain their maximum sporting potential.

Many elite athletes have trained at Aspetar’s normobaric hypoxic chambers, including the French national swim team led by Olympic gold medallist Florent Manaudou, the Australian national swim team and Carlton FC, an Australian Football League team.