Sport in Ramadan: The dangers and risks for competitive athletes

Analyse

It was 26 minutes into the game when the game was interrupted in the Premier League game between Everton and Tottenham in early April. Not because fans had stormed the pitch or anything else unscheduled had happened, but because English Football Association referee David Coote had been instructed to do so beforehand.

It’s Ramadan and during this time Premier League games are suspended after sunset to allow the pros who are observing the Muslim month of fasting to hydrate. This is important for the body and especially for its fluid balance. Athletes drink too little, which can lead to complaints and problems.

Lack of liquid as the biggest problem

In an interview with Watson, Dr. Andrew Lichtenthal explains in detail which risks athletes could face during Ramadan. He is the senior doctor in the German Athletics Association and made it clear from the start that it is not the lack of food when fasting that leads to problems: “Not eating during Ramadan can be coped with by exercising, since this is only for a limited time. Of course, you should make sure that you eat enough food before sunrise and immediately after sunset. The real problem, however, is the liquid.”

Intensive exercise or exercise in high temperatures causes a lot of sweating, which can lead to a loss of electrolytes and salts. Lichtenthal emphasizes that the loss that is not compensated for by drinking during Ramadan can lead to “muscular and/or cardiovascular problems”.

It is very important to pay attention to fluid management. Especially in the time before sunrise and after sunset, you have to drink enough to compensate for the loss of fluid and the electrolytes it contains throughout the day.

Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium are responsible for maintaining nerve conduction and muscle contractility. A lack of a certain electrolyte can result in deficits.

Lichtenthal emphasizes: “During the Tokyo Olympics, for example, some runners showed low sodium levels due to heavy sweating. There was a high risk of a heat collapse, which is why the sodium level was always checked. And if you have low potassium levels, you can have heart problems, for example.”

A typical picture during the Olympic Games in Tokyo: totally exhausted athletes.Bild: imago images / Alberto Estevez

However, Lichtenthal also makes it clear that the side effects described do not have to occur immediately, but that various factors can lead to a “derailment”. Previous illnesses or other health problems of the athletes could also contribute.

Training in Ramadan should be postponed

When it comes to training during Ramadan, Lichtenthal therefore recommends postponing the time of training – if possible – in order to better integrate fasting into the training plan. “It would make sense to train later so that the athlete can eat something at the end of the unit,” explains Lichtenthal. In this way, adherence to religious rules could be well combined with performance-oriented training.

And what about the comparison between professional and amateur athletes? Lichtenthal expresses the assumption “that a professional can adapt better to fasting in Ramadan”. The explanation is obvious: “He is better trained in sweating. The higher the training volume, the fewer electrolytes are excreted through the skin. The amateur isn’t that well trained.”

The fact that sporty people sweat faster and more than less sporty people is true, but at the same time the composition of the sweat also adapts: a great advantage for professionals.

Sports doctor praises interruption of the Premier League

Lichtenthal also mentions an indication that people who do sports are not well prepared for long activities in Ramadan: “There are people who have a little crust of salt on their skin on a long run. These people would have problems, this is an indication that these people lose a lot of sodium through sweat and should be careful because they are depleting their electrolytes lose too quickly.”

Knowing that electrolytes can be lost quickly during sporting activity, Lichtenthal supports the Premier League’s approach to the interruptions in evening games: “Highest respect for the regulation in the Premier League. I think the move to pause games to allow Muslims to drink after the sun goes down makes perfect sense. It’s easier in athletics because the athletes aren’t on the pitch all the time.”