The XXIII Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 9th to 25th 2018 in PyeongChang County (South Korea). Close to 3000 athletes are expected to compete over 15 different disciplines on either snow or ice for a total of 102 medal events, greater compared to the 98 at Sochi 2014 and the 86 at Vancouver 2010.
An evidence-based scientific understanding of factors determining athlete performance, recent changes, the evolution in training content and methods, the improvement in technology as well as the occurrence of injury and illness across the different Olympic winter sports is therefore required. This would provide the opportunity not only to translate research to practice, but more importantly to guide the practice of Olympic winter sports with the ultimate goal of improving the performance. Certainly, the continued evolution of Olympic winter sports has contributed to an enormous accumulation of knowledge, evidence, and relevant training technologies. Sports sciences, including physiology, conditioning, nutrition, biomechanics, coaching, psychology, as well as sport technology, history and social sciences, have much to contribute to the preparation of the athletes in the Olympic winter sports.
Consequently, this Research Topic seeks to provide a platform for original research and review contributions to set out a comprehensive framework of the components that should be addressed when developing training plans leading to elite Olympic winter sports performance. Case studies on elite Olympic winter sport athletes are also welcome.
The XXIII Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 9th to 25th 2018 in PyeongChang County (South Korea). Close to 3000 athletes are expected to compete over 15 different disciplines on either snow or ice for a total of 102 medal events, greater compared to the 98 at Sochi 2014 and the 86 at Vancouver 2010.
An evidence-based scientific understanding of factors determining athlete performance, recent changes, the evolution in training content and methods, the improvement in technology as well as the occurrence of injury and illness across the different Olympic winter sports is therefore required. This would provide the opportunity not only to translate research to practice, but more importantly to guide the practice of Olympic winter sports with the ultimate goal of improving the performance. Certainly, the continued evolution of Olympic winter sports has contributed to an enormous accumulation of knowledge, evidence, and relevant training technologies. Sports sciences, including physiology, conditioning, nutrition, biomechanics, coaching, psychology, as well as sport technology, history and social sciences, have much to contribute to the preparation of the athletes in the Olympic winter sports.
Consequently, this Research Topic seeks to provide a platform for original research and review contributions to set out a comprehensive framework of the components that should be addressed when developing training plans leading to elite Olympic winter sports performance. Case studies on elite Olympic winter sport athletes are also welcome.