Per Spanish sports outlet Marca, the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN) is donating its hypoxic generators in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus and save lives.
As the COVID-19 pandemic steadily progresses in the nation, Spain’s governing body for swimming is contributing to the fight against the epidemic by way of providing the nation’s Health Ministry with a possible alternative that could keep the contagion from spreading.
Hypoxia is a technique widely used in elite sports due to its ability to accelerate the recovery time of athletes, although the technique has long been used in hospitals as a therapy for patients who suffer from respiratory conditions.
These generators are usually located at the Sant Cugat del Vallés High-Performance Center in the Spanish province of Barcelona, where a great majority of Spain’s national swimming team trains, including the reigning 200-butterfly Olympic champion Mireia Belmonte.
Mireia Belmonte was slated to vie for a spot on her 4th straight Olympic squad, which has been rescheduled to start July 23 and come to a close on Aug. 8, 2021. Belmonte currently holds top 10 world rankings this season in four events; the 400 free (5th), 800 free (4th), 1500 free (9th), and the 400 IM (4th). With these rankings, and several more nation-leading times this season she will have a clear shot at the team, along with several potential podium finishes.
Belmonte would have been joined by many other of Spain’s top swimmers including the rest of the 9-athlete roster who represented Spain at last year’s World Champs:
| SWIMMER | CLUB | EVENTS |
| Mireia Belmonte | UCAM Fuensanta | 400/800/1500 freestyle, 200/400 IM, 200 butterfly |
| Marina Garcia | CN Sabadell | 100/200 breaststroke |
| Lidon Munoz | CN Sant Andreu | 50/100 freestyle |
| Jimena Perez | CN Gredos San Diego | 800/1500 freestyle, 400 IM |
| Jessica Vall | CN Sant Andreu | 50/100/200 breaststroke |
| Africa Zamorano | CN Sant Andreu | 100/200 backstroke |
| Hugo Gonzalez | Real Canoe | 100/200 backstroke, 200 IM |
| Juan Francisco Segura | Real Canoe | 50/100 backstroke |
| Joan Lluis Pons | CN Sant Andreu | 200 butterfly, 400 IM |
According to the website worldometers.info, the nation stands third in terms of total cases associated with COVID-19 as they have reported a total of 85,195 cases and 7,340 deaths.
Somewhere along the way (whether in reporting or translation) I’m guessing that hypoxic and hyperbaric got confused.
My understanding: Both are used for training but they are essentially opposites. Hypoxic training is the reduction in oxygen to simulate high altitude conditions. Hyperbaric is using an increased oxygen level to help heal injuries/recover.
Maybe the same equipment can be used for either (I haven’t heard of this)?