The Special Interest Group in Environmental Physiology connects sports scientists and other sport stakeholders (e.g., athletes, coaches) who share an interest in exercising under various environmental conditions. We discuss all types of exercise, including team sports, Olympic sports and extreme events, as well as different exposures such as training, competing and recovery. Our focus areas encompass heat, cold, hypoxia, gravity, pollution and other environmental stressors.

Our annual meeting aims to foster greater interactivity compared to the regular in-programme symposia, providing a platform for exchanging ideas through debates, guest invitees and panel discussions.

This year’s meeting will focus on the below topic:

Protecting Player Health and Performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Beyond: Addressing Environmental Challenges

Join us for the Environmental Physiology Special Interest Group at ECSS Rimini 2025, where we will focus on the environmental challenges football players may face at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. These challenges may include heat, altitude, air quality, allergies and travel-related issues like jet lag and fatigue, all of which could impact player health and performance.

Invited speakers will address the expected environmental conditions in the North American World Cup and outline evidence-based strategies for mitigating the potential risks associated with these conditions. They will particularly explore how heat/altitude training, air quality/allergies and jet lag/fatigue can optimise performance and health for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and beyond, with a look at upcoming World Cup locations, including Morocco, Portugal, Spain (2030) and Saudi Arabia (2034). The session will conclude with a Q&A session from attendees.

We look forward to your participation!

Olivier, Sébastien, Julien & Lee (Co-chairs)

Date: Wednesday, 2 July
Time: 12:45-13:45 (during lunch break)
Session room: Tempio 2

Prof Olivier Girard
School of Human Sciences
University of Western Australia
Perth, Australia
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Prof Sébastien Racinai
CREPS Montpellier Font-Romeu
Montpellier, France
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Prof Julien Périard
Research Institute for Sport and Exercise
University of Canberra, Australia
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Dr Lee Taylor
Director of Partnerships and International Engagement
Reader in Exercise and Environmental Physiology
Loughborough University
Loughborough, United Kingdom
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