- For the 2022 Qatar World Cup alone, the host country is expected to receive 1.5 million tourists.
- In 2018, the Fundación Cardiológica de Argentina requested to eliminate penalties from soccer matches because they increase the risk of suffering a heart attack in the technical staff of the teams and in the fans.
- An investigation by the Puerta del Mar University Hospital in Spain identified that there is a relationship between the passion generated by this sport and heart health.
The world is united by one of the most popular sporting events. The gaze of millions of people is on Qatar, although it has caused divided opinions towards the Asian country. But although the World Cup is experienced as a party, it is also directly related to health and the risk of having a heart attack. The passion of the fans is so great that it can lead to dangerous situations.
In the first instance, there is no other competition that generates so much attention in the world. Only during the 30 days of the event, 1.5 million tourists are expected to come to the nation located in the Middle East. This is a figure of great proportions if one considers that its total population does not even reach 3 million people.
For its part, through television and digital platforms, billions of people are expected to follow each of the matches. There is no other sporting event that attracts so many eyes.
Heart health and soccer, a dangerous combination
For his part, Soccer is known for generating overwhelming passion in fans, although the downside is that it can increase the risk of heart attack. This has been said by several cardiologists when pointing out that the heartbeat accelerates at certain moments of the game.
In fact, a study carried out by the Puerta del Mar University Hospital in Spain identified a curious relationship. There is a lower number of cardiovascular events (heart attack and angina pectoris) in high-risk people when Cádiz Club de Fútbol wins and more when it loses.
Penalty kick, the most dangerous part of a match
In fact, at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, a curious initiative was presented. At that time the Argentine Cardiology Foundation (FCA) requested to eradicate penalties from soccer matches. The argument is that its implementation has a direct impact on the heart health of both the technical team of the national teams and the millions of fans who follow the matches in the stadium and from a distance.
In this case, Dr. Jorge Eduardo Tartaglione, president of the FCA, announced this proposal and explained that there is evidence that During international soccer games there is an increase in the number of heart attacks in fans.
As support, he added that cardiologists identified a notable relationship between emotions, soccer and the heart. To give an example, in 1998, at the World Cup in France, during the penalty shootout between Argentina and England, the rate of heart attacks throughout England increased by 30 percent.
Although his application was not successful in the end, it is a sample of the relationship between heart health and soccer. The passion that is lived during the 90 minutes of each game must be lived with enough moderation to avoid a party ending in tragedy.
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