Olympics: Experts question why so much ice is brought in for athletic "recovery"
Seeing how many tonnes of ice are brought in and potentially wasted at the Olympic Games, researchers came together to publish a sports medicine opinion piece about the figures, criticising the popular perceptions of ice and cold treatment to help athletes recover.
![Ice is considered a "go-to" for injuries during sport but may not be a long term recovery solution. Ice is considered a "go-to" for injuries during sport but may not be a long term recovery solution.](https://services.meteored.com/img/article/olympics-experts-question-why-so-much-ice-is-brought-in-for-athletic-recovery-1722183021948_1024.jpeg)
Scientists published an opinion piece in the British Journal of Sports Medicine to say that the amount of ice used at summer Olympic games has come to “extraordinary” levels.
Ice may at first seem relatively harmless. But in the heat of summer, its production, storage and transportation is energy intensive, and even costly. This, and the high amounts of water required as well, is “not good” for the planet, they say.
“Ice usage at the Summer Olympics has reached extraordinary levels, potentially stressing local and regional resources" they wrote.
Ice use at Olympic games
This suggestion is based on previous data. About 22 tonnes of ice were delivered to the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020 for "medical use". An extra 42 tonnes were given to the residences of the Olympic Village. This was partly supplied by ice-dispenser machines. How much was wasted in the end is unknown. Since ice obviously melts to water it becomes more difficult to quantify.
It didn’t get any better years later. For Paris’ games, the authors said “The first estimation done by Paris 2024 based on the initial requests presented by the International Federations was 1624 tonnes of ice, at a cost of €2.5 million. No independent vendors were able to fulfil the public tender. Subsequently, this estimate has been reduced to 650 tonnes (450 for the Olympics and 200 for the Paralympics),” they write.
Ice therapy: More data and understanding needed
One reason ice is so popular at the games is because of its use by athletes and their support teams to try and manage injuries, sore areas, illness, or simply to accelerate their rest and recovery. This may be through applying ice packs, compression pumps or even ice baths or other forms of cold immersion.
But a lot of the popularly perceived health benefits of ice and cold water immersion are not strongly supported by scientific evidence. The authors bring that point up: “Apart from logistical challenges related to production, transportation, and storage, ice is often used to obtain benefits which are not evidence-based. More importantly, ice could have the opposite effect to that expected, such as delayed tissue regeneration or impaired recovery.”
Some data shows that cold water immersion supports muscle power and recovery perception, rather than actual recovery, compared to the effects of sports massage or contrasts of hot and cold therapies.
More information is needed on this debate though, as this data is “pooled”, meaning that data is selected to make a point.
Cooling may reduce strength adaptions over time
Some other evidence conflicts with ideas of cold supporting recovery, showingcooling reduces strength adaptions in the long term and can even impair performance after exercise. It also is not demonstrated to be effective for treating soft tissue injuries, as there is little evidence currently available to support that.
The authors concluded: “The sport and exercise medicine community needs better data on the actual amount of ice consumed at major sporting events, for what purposes, and at what financial and environmental costs."
“When planning for the provision of ice, organisers should aim to minimise the use of non-evidence-based practices and promote better sustainability. Ice should, however, remain available for certain situations, including acute pain relief, specific recovery needs, and management of exertional heat stroke.”
Where cold water could help with recovery
The experts do say that cold water immersion can help for a fast relief of heat exhaustion post-exercise when the weather is hot. Cold also helps with relieving the soreness of muscles after extended periods of exercise, even when the weather hovers in average temperatures.
The authors exposed how much ice is brought in to the Olympics each year and potentially wasted. While ice might seem to help with some immediate relief it is not a recommended strategy after intensive training or exercise nor for long-term recovery, especially from tissue injuries, they say.
It is worth noting this an opinion piece lacking the rigorous analysis involved in research papers, so these points should be investigated further, but serve as food for thought. More research in these areas are needed to understand the true effects of the cold and ice on our bodies.
Source of the news:
Racinais S, Ihsan M, Grant M, et alIce challenge in recent summer olympic gamesBritish Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 25 July 2024. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108664