The confirmed benefits of regular moderate exercise on cardiovascular health have positioned athletes as an illustration of well-being. However, concerns have arisen regarding the potential predisposition to arrhythmias in individuals engaged in prolonged strenuous exercise. Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common heart arrhythmia, is typically associated with age-related risks but has been documented in otherwise healthy young and middle-aged endurance athletes. The mechanism responsible for AF involves atrial remodeling, fibrosis, inflammation, and alterations in autonomic tone, all of which intersect with the demands of endurance sports, cumulative training hours, and competitive participation. This unique lifestyle requires a tailored therapeutic approach, often favoring radiofrequency ablation as the preferred treatment. As the number of professional and non-professional athletes engaging in high-level daily sports activities rises, awareness of AF within this demographic becomes imperative. This review delivers the etiology, pathophysiology, and therapeutic considerations surrounding AF in endurance sports.

Background and study aim. Soccer is a demanding sport which, in addition to technical and motor characteristics, also requires exceptional functional abilities of athletes to play at a high level. The aim of this study: 1) To analyze the disparities in physiological parameters among professional soccer players in teams of varying levels. 2) To explore potential connections between team ranking positions and the physiological attributes of professional soccer players. Material and Methods. 91 professional soccer players who compete in Serbian Super league (age 24.14±5.15) were included in the study. Participants were classified into two groups. The first group consisted of players from teams that were ranked from third to sixth place at the end of 2021/2022 competitive season (n=49). The second group of participants consisted of the players of the teams that were ranked in the last two places at the end of the above-mentioned season (n=42). Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), as well as running speeds and heart rates at first and second ventilatory thresholds (VT1 and VT2) were obtained by performing maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test. Results. The results showed a statistically significant difference in terms of VO2max values, running speeds and heart rates at VT1 and VT2 when the top and bottom ranked teams were compared (p < 0.001). Conclusion. The results of the study imply that playing high-level soccer requires exceptional functional abilities, which go beyond technical and tactical characteristics. These exceptional abilities enable players to continuously perform at high intensities during the games in order to achieve top results. Coaches should be aware of the importance of high aerobic capacity for achieving top results, especially if the team consists of less talented players.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different SARS-CoV-2 strains on the functional capacity of athletes. Methods: In total, 220 athletes underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) after coronavirus infection and before returning to sports activities. Eighty-eight athletes were infected by the Wuhan virus, and 66 were infected during the Delta and Omicron strain periods of the pandemic. Results: The CPET results showed significantly decreased maximal oxygen consumption, ventilatory efficiency, and oxygen pulse in athletes who were infected with Wuhan and Delta strains compared to athletes who suffered from Omicron virus infection. An early transition from aerobic to anaerobic metabolic pathways for energy production was observed in the Wuhan and Delta groups but not in athletes who were infected with the Omicron strain. There were no differences in the obtained results when Wuhan and Delta virus variants were compared. Conclusion: These results suggest that the Wuhan and Delta virus strains had a significantly greater negative impact on the functional abilities of athletes compared to the Omicron virus variant, especially in terms of aerobic capacity and cardiorespiratory function.

Background and Study Aim. Electrolyte drinks are ion replacement drinks in the body that also help as additional energy. Moreover, it is said that this drink is not a drug because it has not been clinically tested so that it is included in the list and also complementary drinks have benefits and side effects for its users, of course, supplement drinks that isotonic drinks affect dehydration and isotonic drinks can normalize body fluids that have been lost during exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in the usefulness of Pocari and Mineral for fluids in the body after prolonged exercise.Material and Methods. This research is an experimental method. The population in this study were Tanjungpura University Sports Students Semester 5 with a total of 18 people divided into 2 groups so each group contained 9 people. In this study, the sample was given physical activity treatment through running 1200 meters. Furthermore, Pcoari and Mineral drinks were given to see the effect on pulse rate. Data analysis was assisted using SPSS 26.Results. The results show a significance value of 0.173 > 0.05 so it can be concluded that the data results of pocari water and mineral water do not experience significant differences. These results provide information that provides the same impact on pulse rate after physical activity. However, the mean value results show that mineral water (162.56) is smaller than pocari drinks (175.00).Conclusions. This result has important implications, especially for athletes or individuals engaged in similar sports activities. Consumption of mineral-containing isotonic drinks may be an effective strategy in supporting the body's recovery after physical exercise, thereby improving overall sports performance.

Athletes, like ordinary people, have the right to get sick and be treated, but they are not allowed to use most of the drugs that are commonly prescribed to other people, because they are on the list of prohibited doping agents. Therefore, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has introduced the "Therapeutic Use Exemptions" (TUEs), which are submitted when there is an indication for the use of substances and methods that are on the list of prohibited substances. This "exemption" serves to relieve the athlete from the danger of being declared positive during or outside a competition. In recent years, permits for the therapeutic use of illicit drugs for treatment have been increasingly sought, and the aim of this paper is to investigate the causes of seeking TUEs, as well as whether there is abuse of TUEs in order to improve athletic ability and results. Descriptive method and theoretical analysis were used for the collection, classification and analysis of the targeted research, and the data used for the research was collected with the help of Google Scholar, PubMed and KoBSON search engines. Treatment of sports injuries is the most common cause for which athletes seek TUE approval. The second on this list are stimulants, which are used for the treatment of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in athletes, while the third place is occupied by beta blockers for the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background and Study Aim. Given the global spread of COVID-19 and its profound effects on public health, understanding its impact on the physical health and performance of young athletes is crucial for developing guidelines to support their recovery and well-being. The goal of this research was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 infection and possible consequences on the functional abilities of schoolchild athletes, and determine whether there are differences compared to their peers who did not suffer the infection. Material and Methods. This study involved 100 teenagers (median age 15.7±1.167), who engage in two different sports (basketball and soccer), divided into two groups. The first group comprised young athletes (n=53, age 15.79±1.854) who had contracted COVID-19 and underwent 14 days of home isolation. The second group consisted of healthy child athletes (n=47, age 15.60±1.313). Participants underwent a comprehensive pre-participation sports medical examination, which included a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) on a treadmill. CPET assessed various physiological parameters: maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max); heart rates at the first and second ventilatory thresholds (HR at VT1 and HR at VT2); respiratory exchange ratio (RER); maximal pulmonary ventilation (VEmax); ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO2); oxygen pulse (O2/HR); maximum heart rate (HRmax); three-minute heart rate recovery; and potential electrocardiographic changes. Results. The results indicate that COVID-19 infection has led to statistically significant impairments in the cardiorespiratory functions of child athletes. Notably, there were significant reductions in maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), maximal pulmonary ventilation (VEmax), oxygen pulse (O2/HR), as well as heart rates at the first ventilatory threshold (HR at VT1), maximum heart rate (HRmax), and heart rate recovery following maximal effort, all demonstrating p-values less than 0.05. Conclusions. The assessed parameters demonstrated that the functions were statistically significantly impaired in child athletes who had recovered from COVID-19 compared to their healthy peers of the same age. However, the infection appeared to have a minimal impact on heart rate variability at ventilatory thresholds. These findings offer valuable insights for coaches and sports medicine physicians in adjusting training programs and supporting the rehabilitation process for young adolescent athletes resuming their training after recovering from COVID-19.