title: Environmental Influences on Elite Sport Athletes Well Being: From Gold, Silver, and Bronze to Blue Green and Gold.
abstract: This paper considers the environmental impact on well-being and performance in elite athletes during Olympic competition. The benefits of exercising in natural environments are recognized, but less is known about the effects on performance and health in elite athletes. Although some Olympic events take place in natural environments, the majority occur in the host city, usually a large densely populated area where low exposure to natural environments is compounded by exposure to high levels of air, water, and noise pollution in the ambient environment. By combining methods and expertise from diverse but inter-related disciplines including environmental psychology, exercise physiology, biomechanics, environmental science, and epidemiology, a transdisciplinary approach will facilitate a greater understanding of the effects of the environment on Olympic athletes.
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Aoife A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.affiliation: Health Research Institute - Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick Limerick, Ireland.
authors.forename: Tadhg E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: MacIntyre
authors.affiliation: Health Research Institute - Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick Limerick, Ireland.
authors.forename: Nollaig
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Health Research Institute - Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick Limerick, Ireland.
authors.forename: Giles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Warrington
authors.affiliation: Health Research Institute - Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick Limerick, Ireland.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Health Research Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick Limerick, Ireland.
authors.forename: Eric R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Igou
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sport, Health and Exercise Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, Staffordshire University Stoke-on-Trent, UK.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sport, Health and Exercise Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, Staffordshire University Stoke-on-Trent, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gidlow
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Ulster University Londonderry, UK.
authors.forename: Noel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brick
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Sport, Exercise and Performance, Institute of Sport, Faculty of Exercise, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton Walsall, UK.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lahart
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Sport, Exercise and Performance, Institute of Sport, Faculty of Exercise, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton Walsall, UK.
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cloak
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Sport, Exercise and Performance, Institute of Sport, Faculty of Exercise, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton Walsall, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lane
keywords: Olympic Games; air pollution; elite athletes; environmental health; mental health; physical activity; well being