Doha: The French national swimming team, consisting of 42 swimmers led by Olympic gold medallist Florent Manaudou, recently completed an intensive training camp at Aspire Zone.
The team adopted a “live high-train low” training regime, using Aspetar’s state-of-the-art altitude-inducing normobaric hypoxic rooms to rest after training at Hamad Aquatic Centre and Aspire Dome.
The French delegation spent five days at Aspire Zone and were given access to the world-class sports medicine and laboratory services at Aspetar to assist in their physiological evaluations and complement their overall training camp experience.
Commenting on the visit Dr Khalifa Al Kuwari, General Director of Aspetar, said, “We provide a range of high-quality services to visitors, and are proud to have hosted the French swimming team.”
Lionel Horter, the French National Technical Director, praised the comprehensive facilities.
“We specifically chose Aspire Zone in a bid to improve our swimmers’ results, and with the overall aim of winning medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. We wanted to test a hypoxic environment, and Aspetar allowed us to do just that,” he said.
The purpose-built normobaric hypoxic dormitory features 25 rooms and a large communal living area. It utiliises a complex filtration system which reduces the concentration of oxygen in the air and replicates altitude levels ranging from 100 to 4,000 metres. The swimmers spent up to 10 hours a day in the normobaric chambers, allowing them to rest or sleep in a high altitude environment while training at sea level. The process, which traditionally required athletes to spend time at high elevations to obtain the benefits, is designed to improve the endurance, speed and strength of athletes.
The Peninsula
