Aspetar, Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, continues its support for athletes by launching a series of comprehensive scientific guidelines designed to assist them throughout the holy month of Ramadan — a period that coincides this year with the postponement or cancellation of several sports events in the region. According to Aspetar, this unique phase offers an opportunity to reset training programs and enhance both physical and mental readiness, based on the latest scientific research findings.

Dr. Omar Al Sairafi, Sports Medicine Specialist at Aspetar, said:"Every day, we see athletes at our clinics reporting symptoms linked to overuse and fatigue. While proper management generally requires adjusting physical exertion and temporarily reducing workload, this is often not feasible due to crowded competition schedules. Therefore, professional athletes should view these unforeseen breaks as rare opportunities for recovery — a chance to reduce physical strain while maintaining top levels of fitness and readiness. Just as interruptions can be unexpected, so too can the return to play."

Maintaining Performance During Ramadan

Addressing how athletes can preserve their performance levels during Ramadan despite schedule disruptions, Dr. Montassar Tabben, Sports Science Researcher at Aspetar, explained that maintaining readiness relies on an “Smart management” of training loads aligned with changes in sleep, nutrition, and hydration patterns. Many athletes prefer to perform high-intensity training sessions after Iftar, when energy and hydration levels are restored, whereas lighter skill, flexibility, or recovery sessions are best scheduled closer to fasting hours to minimize fatigue and dehydration risks.

Aspetar experts advise distributing meals and fluids gradually between iftar and suhoor, prioritizing balanced meals rich in complex carbohydrates for energy, adequate protein to promote muscle recovery, and fruits and vegetables to replenish micronutrients. A progressive hydration plan, rather than consuming large volumes at once, is also recommended — including fluids with electrolytes when appropriate, particularly for athletes training in hot environments or under higher workloads.

Aspetar emphasizes that recovery and rest are key factors for performance, noting that the greatest challenge during Ramadan is often not fasting itself but disrupted sleep quality. Regular short naps, limiting screen exposure in the evening, and maintaining consistent wake-up times can help offset the effects of sleep loss. Recovery routines such as cool-down exercises, stretching, muscle massage, and monitoring signs of fatigue (like sleep quality, muscle soreness, or general tiredness) are strongly encouraged.

The hospital further notes that competition pauses during Ramadan can serve as a valuable time to rebuild endurance and strength and to enhance recovery—especially when training sessions are carefully adjusted to the Ramadan schedule.

Mental Health and Focus: Staying Balanced Amid Uncertainty

With ongoing changes in the regional sports calendar, psychological stability has become a decisive factor in athletic performance. Over 3,000 athletes from more than 50 countries participated in the world’s largest study on training, nutrition, and mental health during Ramadan, conducted by an international research team in collaboration with Aspetar.

Dr. Karim Khaladi, Clinical and Sport Psychologist at Aspetar, commented: "Psychological support and managing expectations enhance athletes’ confidence and consistency in training. From a practical standpoint, postponed competitions can offer valuable time for mental preparation and the development of stress management skills — areas that we emphasize within Aspetar’s psychological support programs."

Previous Aspetar studies have shown that athletes’ beliefs about fasting can trigger a “nocebo effect”—a psychological expectation of fatigue that negatively impacts performance. Adjusting these beliefs and adopting suitable coping strategies can significantly reduce perceived fatigue levels.

How Middle Eastern Teams Adapt During Competition Delays

Regional experience has shown that teams across the Middle East demonstrate exceptional adaptability to Ramadan conditions and fluctuating competition schedules. Hybrid training models — combining light daytime sessions with high-intensity evening workouts — along with proper nutrition and hydration, have proven highly effective.

Performance data from the Qatar Stars League indicates that players can train and compete during Ramadan without significant declines in performance. Minor decreases in running distances fall within the normal range of match-to-match variation, confirming that athletes in predominantly Muslim environments can effectively adapt to fasting.

These findings reinforce Aspetar’s belief that athletes in the region can transform competition breaks into opportunities for advancement — improving fitness levels, enhancing readiness, and developing long-term performance strategies.

When matches are postponed or rescheduled, Aspetar experts recommend approaching the period as a “window for improvement” rather than a competitive void. The stage can be managed in three phases:

• Maintenance phase: Moderate workloads to prevent fitness losses, complemented by short bursts of intensity to preserve speed and strength.
• Specific development phase: Focused work on targeted aspects such as core stability, injury prevention, or aerobic capacity through carefully measured sessions.
• Return-to-play phase: A gradual increase in load to match game demands (speed, directional changes, contact), limiting abrupt or risky workload spikes before competition resumes.

Balancing fitness improvements with fatigue prevention remains the key rule, as sudden workload increases could elevate injury risk once matches resume.

Aspetar Renews Commitment to Athletes

Aspetar reaffirms its ongoing commitment to providing evidence-based guidance and specialist support in sports medicine, nutrition, and mental health, ensuring that athletes maintain optimal performance throughout Ramadan and are fully prepared to return to competition once events resume.

The hospital also calls on sports federations, clubs, and athletes to view this period as an opportunity for renewal and growth — turning the challenges of fasting and competition postponement into a platform for development and long-term excellence.

About Aspetar:

Aspetar is a world-leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital and the first of its kind in the Middle East. Since 2007, with a world expert team, the hospital has provided top-level comprehensive medical treatment to all athletes in a state-of-the-art facility that sets new standards internationally.

In 2009, Aspetar was accredited as a “FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence” by F-MARC. In 2013, Aspetar was adopted as a reference collaborator centre by the Gulf Countries Council (GCC) Health Ministers Council and “The IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health” in 2014.

In 2015, Aspetar has been recognised as the “IHF Reference Centre for Athlete and Referee Health”. In the same year, the hospital also achieved obtained-on December 15 the Accreditation Canada International (ACI) “Platinum Level”.

Aspetar is a member–organisation of Aspire Zone Foundation, Qatar’s innovative sports and healthy lifestyle destination.