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Text: Ersen Science Popularization
Editor|Ersen Science Popularization
●—<前言> —●
Swimmers should shave off their armpit hair and sweat hair before the race, leaving no excess hair on their bodies.
This makes one wonder, why shave?
If a female athlete has a period, how do they participate in the competition?
Behind all this, what is the "unspeakable" truth hidden?
●—<为什么赛前要剃毛> —●
Diving is known as the "art of a second". While it takes only a few seconds for a diver to move on the springboard, it takes years of hard training and hard work behind those brief moments.
The Chinese diving team has repeatedly created good results in the world competitions, and has won 11 consecutive championships, which can be described as an excellent team.
Spectators may notice that many divers and swimmers have unusually smooth skin, but why?
Divers and swimmers, both men and women, have their body and armpit hair completely shaved off before competing. Because athletes not only represent themselves in the competition, but also the image messenger of the whole country, in the face of the professional judges and audiences on the scene, as well as thousands of viewers in front of the TV, maintaining a neat and generous image is the basic professional quality.
And the hair in the water will add a certain amount of resistance, although the impact is small, but in the fierce top competition, this little advantage may directly determine the final position.
Studies from relevant institutions have shown that hairless skin has less resistance when entering and moving in the water than hairy skin, which is of great significance for athletes who pursue their limits.
This is also an important reason for the requirements of water quality. During training and competitions, in order to avoid hair loss and polluting water quality, athletes must maintain good personal hygiene, clean their bodies frequently, and wear swimming caps, etc.
Swimming caps are often designed to fit snugly on the head, reducing water resistance, while also helping to prevent hair and body hair from falling apart in the water.
To further ensure the purity of the water, many swimming pools conduct regular water quality testing, including monitoring the pH, chlorine content, and total number of bacteria in the pool water.
These measures are designed to safeguard the health and safety of athletes and are in line with FINA regulations.
Since swimming is a sport that is practiced in the water, it is essential to keep the water quality clean. Shedding hair not only affects the aesthetics of the pool, but can also pose a potential threat to the health of swimmers.
For example, shedding hair can clog the filtration system, causing poor water circulation and affecting the water quality of the entire pool. Oils and other substances in hair can also harbor bacteria and microorganisms, increasing the risk of infection in athletes.
Therefore, shaving body hair has become a necessary and common practice. Although this causes certain problems for athletes, such as the need to regularly handle and maintain the condition of their skin, they believe that it is a necessary step to maintain fairness and personal hygiene on the field. Shaving body hair helps to reduce foreign objects in the water, making the game fair and enjoyable.
This kind of preparation of athletes before the competition is not only responsible for their own image, but also respect for the rules of the game. At the same time, it also reflects the efforts of athletes in pursuit of higher performance.
●—<遇到生理期怎么办> —●
In the world of sports, female athletes have to face some unique dilemmas and challenges. In addition to the intense stress of regular training, they also have to overcome their menstrual cycles and the uncomfortable symptoms that come with them.
In water competitions such as diving and swimming, the arrival of the menstrual period often brings more distress to the athletes.
When menstruation arrives, women experience a series of discomforts such as abdominal pain, fatigue, and mood swings. These symptoms can greatly affect their training and competition status, causing unwanted mistakes.
Sports such as diving and swimming, which require prolonged immersion in water, add to the burden on female athletes, as lower water temperatures can exacerbate menstrual discomfort. The anatomy of female athletes puts them at a significant disadvantage in such events compared to male athletes.
But even so, countless female athletes still grit their teeth and persevere, bravely facing all kinds of difficulties and pains brought to them by their menstrual cycles.
Take the famous Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui as an example, during an important competition, she unfortunately suffered a menstrual period. Faced with abdominal pain and fatigue, she did not give up easily and continued to compete. Even if you are exhausted after winning, you still hold on until the last minute. This perseverance is admirable.
For female athletes, menstrual period is indeed more than a simple physiological phenomenon, it is often accompanied by a series of physical discomforts, such as abdominal pain, fatigue and mood swings, which may affect their athletic performance. So how to deal with this challenge intelligently has become a problem that many female athletes must face.
In order to stay in top shape during competition, some female athletes may choose to adjust their menstrual cycle by taking birth control pills ahead of time. This method allows them to avoid the menstrual period during important competitions and reduce the impact of physical discomfort on their competitive performance.
But this practice is not suitable for everyone, because the use of birth control pills needs to be done under the guidance of a doctor and may bring some side effects such as headaches, breast tenderness, etc.
And for those female athletes who need to compete in water, the use of tampons is even more important. Tampons allow female athletes to move underwater without the interference of menstrual blood. However, it is also necessary to pay attention to personal hygiene when using it to avoid the risk of infection.
Whether choosing to take birth control pills or use tampons, female athletes need to approach their bodies scientifically and responsibly. This means that before using any method, you should consult a medical professional to ensure that the measures you are taking are both safe and effective.
Maintaining good lifestyle and eating habits, as well as proper exercise, can also help relieve the discomfort of the menstrual period and improve the overall health of the body.
On the field, we can also often see female athletes carefully pulling on their sportswear and adjusting their intimate equipment. This is not a momentary delicate attitude, but a practical need for extreme sportswear design.
Tight-fitting competition suits can reduce water resistance, but they also cause a lot of inconvenience to the athletes' clothing and activities, which requires them to be attentive and patient at all times.
●—<结语> —●
In the arena, whether it is a winner or a loser, every athlete is proving their worth with sweat and dedication. However, in the pursuit of glory, do we really understand and respect their hardships? Perhaps, we need to re-examine our attitude towards the sport, not just focusing on gold medals, but paying tribute to all those who strive for their dreams.
On the road of athletic competition, female athletes have to put in more effort and sweat than men. This is because gender bias and stereotypes have long affected women's recognition and opportunities in this field.
That's the beauty of sports, which constantly pushes boundaries and opens up endless possibilities. Let's look forward to tomorrow and witness the birth of the next legend together!
1. Xinmin Evening News - Behind the scenes of the New Asian Games
2. Red Star News - Can shaving improve performance?