112. FRESH AIR PLEASE

This blog is being written at the request of some players who contacted me after a recent competition in India and wanted to raise awareness of the conditions that they had to endure, particularly with respect to air quality.

The tournament in question was an ITF W50 in New Delhi and when I first saw the pictures from this event on social media, I thought it was just bad weather, a touch of fog, but no, this was far worse, this was smog – defined as “a fog made heavier and darker by smoke and chemical fumes”.

The tournament was being played in air conditions that could only be harmful to any person breathing it in. Far from ideal for anyone, let alone professional athletes. Smog is known to irritate the eyes, throat, and nose. It can intensify the symptoms of anyone with any underlying heart and lung conditions and what’s more, ozone (a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell), which can be present in smog, can get into the human body and continue to damage it without any visible signs. This means that you can feel totally fine but your lungs may be in a poor condition at the same time. Smog is known as the ‘silent killer’ so why on earth is the ITF allowing tournaments to be held in places that have smog. Surely there has to be a way of testing the air quality of a venue before a tournament is organised and confirmed?

Now my player and I have never experienced smog as such at a tournament, but we have experienced another form of air quality issue brought on by a sand storm that travelled to Herakilion, Greece, from the Sahara. One minute the air was clear (bottom picture below), then the next minute the air had turned orange and the wind was blowing a gale. Did the ITF Tournament Organiser delay or suspend matches? No he did not! Players were asked to carry on, which for some was extremely detrimental to their health. At least one player had to retire in a subsequent match as he had developed a chest infection and was too unwell to play. Surely, organisers need to be ‘brave enough’ to call a halt, or at least suspend play for a while, if the air conditions are such that there are health risks?

Whilst on the subject of health risks, and again at the request of some players, one has to mention some of the hotels that the players are ‘recommended’ to stay in. When I say ‘recommended’ I mean the hotels that are either provided as the ‘free hospitality’ at the mid level competitions, or hotels that are highlighted by the ITF as the suggested place for players to stay in whilst playing in a particular event. One would assume if a hotel has been listed on an ITF Tournament Factsheet that it would have been assessed and would have ‘passed’ certain ITF requirements/criteria with regard to cleanliness, facilities, safety, accessibility, price etc. But it would appear not! As I recounted in my blog entitled “Bed Bugs and Unwanted Guests”, sometimes the tournament accommodation is far from ideal. I foolishly thought this might have improved over the years but it appears I was wrong as the photos below suggest!

So be warned, life on the pro tour can not only be tough but it can be unhealthy and unhygienic! Players are recommended to choose their tournaments and accommodation wisely. It would appear that not all tournament venues and ‘designated’ hotels are vetted and until this becomes standard then players might want to choose their competitions very carefully and do plenty of research before they commit!

#realitytennis

******************************************************

If you have enjoyed this blog, please follow, share and read more at http://www.realitytennis.WordPress.com and subscribe to receive e mail notification of upcoming blogs as they are released. Follow also at:

Twitter: @realitytennis

Instagram: realitytennis

If you have similar stories to share, please feel free to e mail the author at: sallyappleton64@gmail.com