[Saba Sports News] TyC Sports published an article covering Argentina’s training methods to combat extreme heat. Following their dominant win over Algeria powered by a Lionel Messi hat-trick in the opening match, the Argentina national team held a training session in Kansas this Wednesday.
To cope with the city’s 36-degree heat, the squad adopted technology widely used in Formula 1: liquid-cooled circulation vests. The gear circulates coolant through internal tubing to lower athletes’ core body temperature.
Unlike ordinary ice-pack cooling vests, the technology relies on an active cooling system equipped with miniature pumps and thermal insulation materials. It rapidly dissipates heat during training breaks, helping players maintain competitive form and prevent heatstroke. The vests are worn mainly during non-contact drills or hydration pauses to avoid restricting mobility, and have become an increasingly prevalent thermal adaptation management tool in professional sports. In addition, Argentina also utilizes heat-insulated boots engineered with the same cooling mechanism for the feet, stopping overheating and swelling in players’ lower limbs.
In my view, this practical and necessary scientific preparation relies on physical aids to assist the body’s thermal regulation rather than serving as unfair equipment advantages. Nevertheless, long-term heat acclimatization training and tactical pace control remain the decisive factors determining match outcomes, with cooling vests acting merely as a last line of defense.