Can you pick athletes by their genes? Ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, China thinks so

Last August China grabbed headlines with a document posted by the ministry of science and technology. The government stated its athletic hopefuls for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will have to undergo genetic screening for a chance to represent the host nation. The document, first discovered by the South China Morning Post , went on to state athletes will be required to have their entire genomes sequenced, a process that determine’s a persons unique DNA profile. Turns out, genetic testing for athletes has been used for years, and the science is getting incredibly complicated. Two specific genes have been linked to athletic performance when it comes to a body’s ability to perform. There’s the ACE II gene, which according to the US National Library of Medicine, is linked to one’s ability to cut or “cleave” proteins from the body. This is part of the renin-angiotensis system, which regulates both blood pressure and one’s ability to balance the level of salts and fluids in the body. Some studies have concluded in testing that the ACE II genotype is linked to increased performance when it comes to endurance athletes. The other gene linked to athletic performance is ACTN3, which relates to muscle fibres, and studies have shown it can impact a person’s power and lifting capabilities. Genetic testing has been linked to a number of professional sports teams and leagues including English Olympic athletes, the English Premier League, a few American university football squads and the National Football League. In a 2008 interview with Scientific American, it was noted that an American company in Colorado called Atlas Sports Genetics was selling testing kits for three combinations of ACTN3 genes. Pyeongchang 2018, Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022: Asian dominance of Olympics buoyed by 2007-08 financial crisis In 2009, genetic testing company 23andMe, Inc. got together with Duke University, Stanford University and the Buck Institute to conduct genetic testing which included more than 100 current NFL players at the time. It compared the professional athletes to “regular Joes”, but found that the NFL players were not genetic outliers in any way. A 2012 article published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health titled “Genetic tests for athletic ability: Science or snake oil?” noted the science is still shaky at best. The article looked at Sports X Factor, created by American company AIBioTech, which was selling “a suite of direct-to-consumer genetic tests to assess athletic performance characteristics and risk factors for athletes”. The testing claimed to look at genetic markers linked to particular health risks including arrhythmia, recovery from concussions, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart muscle which can lead to an increased risk of death by cardiac arrest. The article went on to state that according to many scientists, gene testing is a “gross oversimplification”, and in the article, Timothy Caulfield, a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Technology noted one gene doesn’t give a fulsome look at an athlete’s overall potential or limitations. “There are so many factors that contribute to something as complex as performance in sports that it seems ridiculous to narrow it down to this one type of genetic test.” Michael McNamee, a professor in the Department of Philosophy, Humanities and Law in Healthcare in the College of Human and Health Sciences at Swansea University in the United Kingdom, added that he questions the validity of expanding the role of genetic testing into the athletic world. “It’s just hype as far as I can see. If you want to see if someone is going to be a good sprinter, watch them. An educated observer can tell you more than a genetic test.” In 2016, NFL team the New England Patriots posted a blog on its official website titled “Tackling Tech: Is There a Future for Genetic Testing in the NFL?” In the article it was noted genetic testing could have both positives and negative effects, as it could help predict certain injuries but also lead to unsubstantiated conclusions when it comes to athletes’ potential. The piece stated that genetic testing is banned in the NFL under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players and the owners.

Can you pick athletes by their genes? Ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, China thinks so

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}China is testing its athletes’ genes in preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing So where is the science when it comes to sports and genetic testing?

China is testing its athletes’ genes in preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

So where is the science when it comes to sports and genetic testing?