‘WEAR MASK WHILE TRAINING’

MBABANE – Eswatini Football Association (EFA) doctor Comfort Shongwe has shed light regarding the wearing masks at training.

Some sportspeople were of the view that it was not proper to wear a mask while training.
Shongwe said there were misconceptions surrounding the wearing of masks while training.
“People can still wear their mask while training. It’s ideal especially for high performance training. However, I would advise those who train while wearing a mask not do so for prolong periods,” Shongwe said.

When asked what could be the dangers of wearing a mask, Shongwe said: “If they could wear it for prolong periods, they could have difficulty in breathing which may result in suffocating.

This is so because there is limited oxygen going in,” he explained.
“Wearing a mask when training should be a culture. You must get used to it and the system will acclimatise and you will never have challenges wearing masks or difficulty in breathing when training.

It’s more like when you are young, you are not used to wearing a shoe until you get used to it and eventually you live with the fact that you can wear a shoe,” said Shongwe.

Different sportspeople confessed that they did not wear masks when training.
Correctional netball and volleyball player Abigail Simelane said it was impossible to wear a mask while training.

necessities

“You can wear a mask while just going about your business, maybe taking a walk to a shop or doing other necessities. However, it is a different story altogether when you are doing serious training. I tried it and I had difficulty in breathing. Training requires more oxygen,” Simelane said.

Mbabane Jazz player Lwazi Mchobokazi shared similar sentiments.
“You know when I am road running I wear it during the first lap, but on the second lap, I put it aside. Usually I run for about 16km. When you are sweating and getting tired it is difficult to breathe so one could suffocate if he were to wear it for a prolonged period,” Mchobokazi said.

4eva Cycling Club rider Thulani Gule concurred with the doctor.
“You know in high performance training, you wear a mask purposely so that it can limit breathing and by so doing it strengthens the respiratory musculature by making it work harder,” he said.

He went on to say that sometimes there are special masks which are meant to be worn for training.

“Using the mask when training forces your heart and lungs to work harder. Fans of altitude masks claim that using them can improve speed, endurance, and strength. This concept is based on the fact that some athletes, especially distance runners, train at higher altitude,” he added.

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