{
  "id": 12157590,
  "title": "Why the right supplements matter as UAE’s sports season returns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/why-the-right-supplements-matter-as-uaes-sports-season-returns",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-05T13:08:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/sport/why-the-right-supplements-matter-as-uaes-sports-season-returns-1.500699116"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "After months of a sweltering summer, the UAE's sporting calendar is starting to regain momentum. From football and cricket to grueling events like hyrox, athletes nationwide are climbing back into competition and ramping up their training as the new season commences. However, the relentless heat remains a significant challenge, with preparation encompassing not just training, diet and recuperation but also supplementation. For competitors and trainees engaged in outdoor activities, maintaining adequate hydration assumes paramount importance. Luke O’Reilly, founder of the Ten Percent Club, offers valuable insights into the role supplements can play in sports nutrition. The performance supplement company specializes in products targeting hydration, recovery, sleep and performance, with a keen focus on transparent ingredients and independent testing. O’Reilly’s extensive experience in both sport and nutrition began in the engineering sector before he ventured into running a meal preparation cafe. It was during this period that he observed athletes frequently ingesting supplements without full awareness of their contents. \"I kept encountering the same issue: athletes ingesting substances into their bodies without truly understanding what they comprised,\" he explained. \"Labels brimming with proprietary blends, underdosed components, and unverifiable marketing assertions. I aspired to create a brand that I would personally endorse: transparent dosages, no fillers, and every product meticulously tested.\" O’Reilly launched the Ten Percent Club in February 2023, steadily expanding the enterprise, one athlete at a time. He advocates electrolyte replacement as a critical consideration for athletes training in the UAE, especially during intense heat periods. \"In that heat, you can lose well over a liter of sweat per hour, along with substantial amounts of sodium and chloride,\" he stated. \"Drinking plain water alone only addresses half the problem. Performance deteriorates, cramping ensues, decision-making is compromised, and it can become genuinely perilous. \"In the UAE summer, electrolytes are not a mere accessory; they should be an integral part of your training regimen.\" Although temperatures gradually decline as the UAE transitions into the winter sports season, athletes may still encounter challenging circumstances, particularly during outdoor sessions and competitions. Consequently, replenishing fluids and electrolytes lost through perspiration can prove vital in sustaining performance and facilitating recovery. Ten Percent Club has collaborated with Matchroom Boxing, the enterprise overseen by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. Nevertheless, supplementation does not merely pertain to hydration. For elite athletes striving at the pinnacle of their sport, incremental enhancements in preparation and recuperation can prove substantial throughout a season. \"Supplements will not supersede training, sleep, or wholesome food, and anyone claiming otherwise is selling something,\" O’Reilly emphasized. \"Yet, at the elite level, the margins are infinitesimal, and the appropriate supplementation, accurately dosed and consistently employed, can effect a genuine difference.\" Professional athletes face an additional consideration: the precise composition of the product they consume. Under anti-doping regulations, athletes assume liability for substances detected in their system, even if unintentionally ingested. This underscores the significance of independent testing when selecting supplements. \"It's non-negotiable,\" O’Reilly asserted. \"Under anti-doping rules, the athlete bears responsibility for whatever resides within their system, whether they intended it or not. \"One contaminated product could jeopardize a career that took two decades to cultivate. Independent testing such as Informed Sport serves as the sole safeguard they possess.\" However, for athletes resuming competition post the summer hiatus, the core principles persist. Supplements should augment, rather than substitute, a balanced diet, ample sleep, structured training, and effective recovery. In the UAE context, preempting dehydration may prove equally crucial as the training regimen itself. \"If I could impart one piece of advice to every athlete training in the UAE, it would be to hydrate before you feel thirsty, and replenish salt alongside water. \"Commence the session already replenished, consistently replace electrolytes throughout, and refrain from waiting until you experience symptoms.\"",
  "summary": "Dubai: After a long, hot summer, the UAE’s sporting calendar is beginning to spring back to life. From traditional sports like football and cricket to endurance events such as hyrox, athletes across the country are returning to competition and stepping up their training as the new season gets underway. But with the UAE heat still a major factor, preparation extends beyond training, nutrition and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}