Effect of the Environment on the Sport Performance

Alessandro Pezzoli

1,2

, Elena Cristofori

2,3

, Matteo Moncalero

2,4

, Fiorella Giacometto

2,5

and Andrea Boscolo

DIATI, Politecnico di Torino, C.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino, Italy

MeteoSport, Sport Psychology Research Unit, Motor Science Research Centre, School of Motor and Sport Sciences,

University of Turin, P.zza Bernini 12, Torino, Italy

DIST, Politecnico di Torino, Viale Mattioli 39, Castello del Valentino, Torino, Italy

DICAM, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, Via Terraccini 28, Bologna, Italy

Ospedale Cottolengo, Piccola Casa della Divina Provvidenza, Via S. Giuseppe Cottolengo 14, 10152, Torino, Italy

1 OBJECTIVES

The effect of weather and environmental conditions

on sports has been extensively studied over the last

few years (Thornes, 1977); (Spelmann, 1996);

(Pezzoli et al., 2010); (Fleming et al., 2010). Based

upon the studies of Lobozewicz (1981) and of Kay

and Vamplew (2002), Pezzoli and Cristofori (2008)

have studied the impact of some specific

environmental parameters over different sports using

a particular impact index divided into five classes.

This analysis clearly shows that most of the

outdoor sport activities, and in particular endurance

sports, are strongly influenced by the variation of

meteorological parameters. In effect the evaluation

of bio-climatological conditions and of thermal

comfort in endurance sports, particularly in road

cycling, has a fundamental importance not only for a

proper planning of the training program and the

nutritional plan, but also for a better evaluation of

the race strategy (Olds et al., 1995). Despite these

observations, the influence of meteorological and

environmental conditions is often disregarded in the

outdoor sport performance assessment.

Among the meteorological variables that

strongly influence the sporting activity the most

important are temperature, wind, precipitation, fog,

atmospheric pressure and relative humidity. The

usefulness of weather forecasts in performance

sports management has been demonstrated by

Pezzoli and Cristofori (2008) and Pezzoli et al.

(2012a). The results obtained by the Authors show

us how the role of the meteorological parameters

becomes crucial for sporting activities carried out in

an outdoor environment.

The aim of this paper is to assess how much

atmospheric variables may influence both the

athletic performance and the comfort level for

different sport disciplines. The availability of these

specific information leads to a more detailed

knowledge of the area of interest and opens up the

possibility of making considerations on past trends,

as well as on the predictability of future situations

and phenomena.

2 METHODS

Based on Lobozewicz (1981), Kay and Vamplew

(2002) and Pezzoli and Cristofori (2008) studies, we

conducted a qualitative-quantitative assessment of

the influence of environmental variables on sport

performance using the Haddon matrix (Haddon,

1980).

William Haddon Jr developed his conceptual

model, the Haddon matrix, in 1980. Since that time,

the matrix has been used as a tool to assist in

developing ideas for preventing injuries of many

types.

The application of the Haddon matrix in the field

of the sports activities allows to determine the

factors that mostly affect the performance, such as

(Figure 1):

 Personal factors (psychophysical preparation);

 Vector or Agent Factors (materials and

opponent);

 Physical Environmental factors (meteorological

and environmental analysis). Hereafter the

“Physical Environmental factors” will be called

“environmental parameters” and they will be

referred to meteorological parameters (i.e.: air

temperature, air humidity, wind, rain, etc…) that

affect the sport performance;

 Socio-environmental factors (of internal and

external social environment).

167

Pezzoli A., Cristofori E., Moncalero M., Giacometto F. and Boscolo A..

Effect of the Environment on the Sport Performance.

DOI: 10.5220/0004643201670170

In Proceedings of the International Congress on Sports Science Research and Technology Support (EESP-2013), pages 167-170

ISBN: 978-989-8565-79-2

 2013 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

This study illustrates the different methodologies

used for the analysis of the environmental

parameters during the different temporal phases of a

specific sport event. During the pre-event phase a

climatological and statistical analysis proves to be

the most suitable. On the other hand, during the

event a deterministic forecast methodology,

associated with very short-term numerical weather

prediction models, is suggested. Finally in the post-

event phase meteorological measurements can be

used, if available, for refining the performance

analysis (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Haddon matrix.

If the environmental parameters are not taken

into account, one column would be missing within

the Haddon matrix and hence an error would be

produced using the performance assessment model.

The importance of Environmental Analysis for

sport performance is often underestimated by

coaches and managers. This is mostly due to the lack

of knowledge about the added value brought by

innovative techniques for measuring environmental

variables and for predicting meteorological

parameters.

The different time-scales for a proper

environmental analysis and the weather forecasting

during a general sport event can be divided as

follows:

 Long term (up to 30 days before the event);

 Medium term (from 30 days before the event to 8

days before the event);

 Short term (from 8 days to 6 hours before the

event);

 Very short term (from 6 hours before the event

until the ‘action’).

This subdivision, and the related weather forecast,

have to be used with regard to the possibilities

offered by each Sports’ Rule for what concerns the

use of meteorological information.

With this kind of meteorological analysis, and

according to the Haddon matrix, a proper assessment

of the environmental parameter is assured.

A series of in-depth focus groups conducted with

different stakeholders (athletes, coaches, managers,

performance analysts) coming from the main

National Sports Federations of the Italian Olympic

Committee (CONI) have allowed us to determine the

importance of meteorological variables and the

impact of different time-scales weather forecasts on

the general performance for several sports (Pezzoli

et al., 2012b; Arpino and Pezzoli, 2012).

In particular the following disciplines have been

analyzed:

 Cycling: road;

 Rowing;

 Canoe & Kayak;

 Athletics: Marathon & Race Walks;

 Modern Pentathlon;

 Equestrian Sports;

 Tennis;

 Archery;

 Shooting Sports;

 Triathlon;

 Sailing.

3 RESULTS

The analysis of the data extracted from the focus

groups, showed that all sports studied are strongly

influenced by the following meteorological

variables:

 Temperature;

 Humidity;

 Wind.

Some sports, and among them we can mention

tennis, cycling and, in general, all shooting

disciplines, are also influenced by rain and fog

(Table 1).

It was also observed the high impact that long-

term weather forecasting can have on all sports

considered (Table 1). This analysis leads us to

believe that all major sporting events (Olympics,

World Championships) are to be considered as “situ-

specific”.

As we will see below, it follows that athletes,

coaches and technicians can use a careful

climatological analysis to finalize the sports training

well in advance from the date of the event.

Finally, it was evaluated as the weather forecast

at different time’s term can be used to improve

sports performance (Table 2).

This further analysis confirms that the sports

training of an athlete should be considered as a

complex system where only the correct interaction

between information from different sources can lead

to the achievement of excellence’s performance.

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Table 1: Impact of meteorological parameters and meteorological forecast on the sport performance.

Table 2: Impact of weather forecast at different time scale on the improving of the sport performance (example for cycling

and rowing).

4 DISCUSSION

The performed analysis clearly shows that both

meteorological and environmental parameters can

have a significant impact on the sports performance

for outdoor events. Therefore the assessment

methodology presented can be considered as

innovative for applied sport research.

It follows that the Performance Analyst should

develop relevant competences needed for conducting

an integrated data analysis, taking into account the

environmental parameters as well.

Moreover the Performance Analyst have to take

care of the results’ communication of this integrated

performance data analysis to the coaches through

understandable and meaningful messages.

From the focus groups it was concluded that, in

the sports performance analysis, need to be

addressed, as well as the well-known areas of

Performance Analysis, which are (Figure 2):

EffectoftheEnvironmentontheSportPerformance

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 Motion Analysis

 Match & Timing Analysis

 Notational Analysis

also two new areas, namely:

 Rule Analysis

 Environmental Analysis

Figure 2: Wheel of the sport performance analysis.

These considerations are in agreement with

innovative researches carried out on the Team Sport

(Opatkiewicz et al., 2012); (Brocherie et al., 2012),

on the cycling (Pezzoli et al., 2012a), on the water

sport (Pezzoli et al., 2013) as well as in the winter

sports (Pezzoli et al., 2010); (Pepino, 2012).

Therefore National Sports Federation should pay

particular attention to train these specific

competencies in order to create sports operators that

can fill the role of Performance Analysts with the

necessary awareness. In addition the technicians will

need a specific and continuous education allowing

the achievement of the fundamental knowledge in

the field of environmental analysis.

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