Japan’s football team training in Saas Fee
Japan’s national football team will use Saas-Fee as their training camp in the run-up to this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.
The team will train in the Swiss resort between 26 May and 5 June and chose the resort in p[art because as it is situated 1,800 metres above sea level, Saas-Fee is a cloe match to Johannesburg which lies at 1,700m above sea level and has equally fresh mountain air.
The Japanese team managers considered more than just the need to acclimatise their players for a possible final and for other matches at high altitude, such as in Rustenburg (1,500 m) and Bloemfontein (1,400 m). They were also swayed by the fact that, since a landmark decision in 1951, Saas-Fee has been entirely car-free and over the past few years has pioneered various concepts and projects to protect the environment and promote sustainable development in the area.
Dr Beat Villiger developed the ‘Exercise x Altitude = Health’ formula and, in his capacity as medical advisor, helped the Greek national football team use it to their advantage to become European champions in 2004.
His equation simply summed up the health effects of combining physical activity with a stay at medium altitudes of between 1,200 and 2,500 metres: the body gradually adapts to the changes in altitude and to reduced oxygen levels due to decreased air pressure at greater heights. After around a week of altitude training in Saas-Fee the Japanese players’ bodies will gradually adapt to these conditions, thereby improving their overall performance.
Saas-Fee therefore offers the perfect World Cup training conditions, as well as clean, fresh air and a temperate Mediterranean climate creating an ideal place to prepare for the demanding experience on the footballing world stage. Thanks to the altitude training, their bodies will be perfectly trained for the World Cup conditions.
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