Thermal Strain During Open-Water Swimming Competition in Warm Water Environments

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Environmental Physiology
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Open-water swimming in warm water presents significant physiological strain.
• Current international policies for event cancellation rely solely on a fixed water temperature, lacking a clear biophysical basis.
• Existing policies do not account for other environmental factors, race distance, or provide risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight considerations for developing modernized warm-water swimming competition policies.
• To review current knowledge on thermal strain, cooling interventions, and performance in warm-water swimming.
• To identify areas for future research to inform policy development.

Main Methods:

• This is a perspectives article, not an empirical study.
• It reviews existing literature and policy frameworks related to warm-water swimming.
• It identifies gaps in knowledge and proposes future research directions.

Main Results:

• Current policies for warm-water swimming events are inadequate.
• There is a lack of systematic evaluation of real-world thermal strain and performance.
• Opportunities exist for advancing knowledge on preparatory and in-race cooling strategies.

Conclusions:

• Modernized policies are essential for ensuring athlete safety in warm-water open-water swimming.
• Future research should focus on real-world data, environmental factors, and race-specific risks.
• Policies should stratify risk and mitigation strategies based on environmental and race-specific factors.