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PhD project within the Industrial Doctoral School at Umeå University
How can we support the development of more and better female cross-country skiers and biathletes while also providing them with a full upper-secondary education – without compromising their health? This interdisciplinary project, conducted in collaboration with the Swedish Sports Confederation, investigates the challenges currently faced by Swedish cross-country skiing.
Industrial Doctoral School, 75 per cent
Swedish Sports Confederation, 25 per cent
Göran Kenttä, Swedish Sports Confederation
In Sweden, it is common for young athletes to combine their sport with upper-secondary education through National Sports Upper Secondary Schools (RIG) or National Sports Education programmes (NIU). Balancing academic studies with elite-level training while maintaining good health presents many challenges. Endurance sports such as cross-country skiing and biathlon involve high training volumes, which put young women in particular at increased risk of relative energy deficiency, overuse injuries, mental health problems, and negative effects on immune function, hormones, and body composition — all of which can ultimately impair both health and performance.
This interdisciplinary project aims to identify and analyse the factors that promote or hinder healthy performance development in young female cross-country skiers and biathletes.
By following two cohorts of athletes from all RIG and NIU schools throughout their upper-secondary years, and by combining physiological, psychological, and medical assessments, the project seeks to contribute valuable knowledge to support the current and future generations of female cross-country skiers and biathletes.
