Infectious diseases remain an underestimated challenge in elite sport, yet their impact on athletes’ health, performance, and competition is significant. Athletes are particularly vulnerable to infections due to a combination of physiological and environmental factors.
Intensive training loads may transiently suppress immune function, whilst frequent travel, crowded accommodation, and close contact with teammates increase exposure—particularly to respiratory and gastrointestinal pathogens.
The upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be the largest in history, presents unique challenges. Its tri-nation format across the United States, Mexico and Canada, combined with an unprecedented number of teams and increased global mobility, will demand exceptional attention to athlete health. This global sporting spectacle represents the pinnacle of elite performance.
Modern professional football players must remain physically and mentally prepared for matches played at an increasingly high tempo and frequency. This raises an important question: who are the experts in sports medicine working behind the scenes to protect athletes from infectious diseases on the world stage of major competitions?
With this question in mind, I have invited my esteemed colleagues, Professor Dr. Tim Meyer, Director of the Institute of Sports Medicine at Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany, alongside PhD candidate Monica Duarte Muñoz, to serve as Guest Editors for this focused topic on the management of infectious diseases and other illnesses in athletes.
Together, they have assembled an outstanding team of experts from across the globe to address the most common infections that can impair athletes’ health and performance, offering valuable insights into prevention, diagnosis, and management.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our Guest Editors, Professor Dr. Tim Meyer and Monica Duarte Muñoz, as well as to all contributing authors, for their generosity, expertise and dedication, which has made this issue possible.
In addition to these excellent papers, it is an honor to feature an interview with the Minister of Sports and Youth, His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, conducted by Fai Al Naimi. Inside the interview, His Excellency reflects on his long-standing involvement in Qatar’s sporting landscape and the role of sport and youth development in shaping the health and well-being of future generations.
In this issue of the Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal, within the Al-Resalah section, our journalist Fai Al Naimi spotlights the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum through an engaging and insightful discussion with Abdulla Yousef Al Mulla, the Director of the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum.
In conclusion, the management of infectious diseases in athletes reflects the broader responsibility of modern sports medicine: to protect health while optimising performance.
As we prepare for major global sporting events, we must adopt a proactive, multidisciplinary approach that integrates clinical expertise, public health principles, and organisational preparedness. Ultimately, effective management of infectious diseases begins with prevention.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue.
Prof Nebojsa Popovic MD PhD
Editor-in-Chief