Prepping for Beijing 2022: A Chat with Dr. Øyvind B. Sandbakk

When it comes to the leading research regarding nordic sport, we often associate Dr Øyvind B. Sandbakk with publishing keen information regarding high performance. Sandbakk is the managing director at the Centre for Elite Sports Research at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. Beyond just simply chit-chatting about the current state of affairs regarding cross-country skiing in Norway, Kershaw discusses the recently published paper titled, ‘"Preparing for the Nordic Skiing Events at the Beijing Olympics in 2022: Evidence-Based Recommendations and Unanswered Questions".Sandbakk was the PI, or principle investigator on that paper, in what serves as a meta-analysis detailing the best practices for nordic athletes preparing for the 2020 Beijing Olympics. The paper is relevant as it serves as a basic template for racing at the 2022 Beijing Olympics where the race course is situated at roughly 1700m. Even more, the scholars dig into how best to adjust for Beijing’s time zone and expected cold dry air.