It is an equation that is sometimes difficult to solve and which arises every year before athletes of the Muslim faith. How to reconcile the pursuit of high intensity physical activity while practicing Ramadan? This fast, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, consists of not eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset for a month. A rhythm of life a priori incompatible with the practice of high-level sport which requires very special attention to food.
Some athletes also choose to shift their month of fasting in order to have all of their physical abilities. This was the case for Belgian attacking midfielder Nacer Chadli just before the 2014 FIFA World Cup or the Muslim players of the France team during Euro 2016. “Ramadan is a very personal choice, there is no has no obligation to do so. The principle of Ramadan is not to do violence to one another, fasting is recommended for those who are capable of it”, declared the Grand Mosque of Paris to the Figaro in 2014. Islam also makes it possible to compensate for each non-fasting day by donating food to the poorest.
Risk of injury
As for those who would prefer to observe Ramadan on time, certain risks must be considered, reminds Europe 1 Nicolas Aubineau, nutritionist and sports dietitian. “When you train during the day, you have to regenerate the body in an optimal way so that the body regains its overall efficiency. , we can have deficiencies and risks of injury”, he underlines. Concretely, too little absorption of nutrients after physical exertion acidifies the human body and makes it more vulnerable to inflammation.
Thierry Blancon, physical trainer and former national athletics coach, also points to the fatigue that athletes who practice Ramadan can feel. “As it is not on a fixed date, when it falls in the summer, the fasting periods are more important. And the athletes also take on their sleep because at sunset there can be a festive moment, family reunion. So there is a loss of sleep which is not favorable to high-level sport”.
The medical profession keeps watch
Often well aware of the risks they run, Muslim athletes regularly highlight the spiritual aspect of fasting, which they believe is essential during competition. “There is a personal aspect that should not be overlooked. Fasting can be felt as a mental need and give strength to a player. If you deprive him of this, he may be disappointed and it will disturb him on the pitch” , entrusted to Parisian Karim Haggui, former Tunisian international, in 2018.
These athletes can generally count on the watchful eye of the medical profession around them. “In the first hours when they can eat, I advise them to adopt specific recovery protocols with proteins, carbohydrates but also specialized drinks. We will also ask them to hydrate throughout the night. because water makes it possible to rebuild the tissues”, illustrates Nicolas Aubineau.
Adapted workouts
As for the trainers, they are accustomed to establishing, with their foals, adapted sessions which allow them to reconcile Ramadan and sports practice. Thierry Blancon remembers the atypical training he developed with Naman Keïta, bronze medalist at the Athens Games in 2004 in the 400m hurdles: “Every evening, we waited in the stadium for daylight to fall. And once that it was dark, he ate a small sandwich and we started training. It was the formula that we had set ourselves.
Some athletes even see Ramadan as the ideal solution for losing weight for a competition, points out Thierry Blancon. Fasting may therefore be easier to grasp in the middle of a tournament than during an intensive training window where the density of ground work makes recovery more laborious. At the same time, the major sporting authorities are also taking steps to ensure the comfort of Muslim athletes. In the English football championship, referees have been instructed to allow players who wish to do so to break the fast during evening matches. They will then have the opportunity to eat during stoppages.