The XXIII Olympic Winter Games were hosted in PyeongChang (South Korea) from the 9th to the 25th of February 2018. The edition included 102 events over 15 disciplines in seven sports. A total of 2,914 athletes from 92 countries competed, including several emerging countries in the winter sports panorama such as Kosovo, Eritrea, Nigeria, and Singapore. An important goal for most athlete-centered research is to be translated into practice, it is used to inform the development of improved athlete preparation and/or performance (Coutts, 2017). The result of this process is commonly defined as evidence-based practice. Though the efficacy of translating athlete-centered research to practice is still debated (for reasons beyond the scope of this editorial; Bishop, 2008; Coutts, 2017), this Research Topic sought to provide a platform for papers on Olympic winter sports, and set out a comprehensive framework of the different attributes that should be addressed within Olympic winter sports performances. The aim was therefore, on one hand: to better understand factors determining athlete performance, recent changes, the evolution in training content and methods, the improvement in technology, as well as the occurrence of injury and illness across the different Olympic winter sports. On the other hand, we wanted to provide the opportunity not only to translate research to practice, but more importantly to guide the practice of Olympic winter sports, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the performance, improving technological means and equipment, and/or reducing injury risks. Therefore, we focused on issues related to how winter sports athletes meet the acute physiological and biomechanical demands of their winter discipline, and also on the factors that govern some of the long-terms adaptations to exercise training. To explore this, we welcomed the submission of original research, review, perspective articles, and case studies on elite Olympic winter sport athletes, which specifically considered the scope, and impact of their findings in the broader context of Olympic winter sports performance. Conclusion: The scientific basis of Olympic winter sports, as well as the studies of how athletes cope with the specific physiological and biomechanical requirements of their discipline, is of paramount importance and interest for exercise physiologists, sport scientists, and particularly coaches. These studies are necessary in order to improve the current understanding of Olympic winter sports performance. The continued evolution of Olympic winter sports is contributing to an enormous accumulation of knowledge, evidence, and relevant training technologies. In this context, the 18 papers that constitute this Research Topic have contributed to our better understanding of the requirements of different Olympic winter sports. The field of study is enormous and touches a considerable number and range of issues. We hope this Research Topic will contribute to the stimulation of further research in all the aspects highlighted within it. The ultimate goal being to improve all Olympic winter sports performances. With the recent implementation by the International Olympic Committee of the Youth Olympic Games, further research is also required to better analyse the practice of winter sports by young athletes at the elite level. Questions about the optimal increase in training load and the specificity of the training content at different age-stages for reducing health and risk of injury are paramount and yet minimally investigated. The next step might come from the "Youth and Winter Sports" congress being held from the 7th to the 8th of January 2020 in Lausanne (Switzerland) prior the next winter Youth Olympic Games, also hosted in Lausanne from the 9th to the 22nd of January 2020.
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