Yes, it’s possible for kids with asthma to become some of the best athletes in the world. In fact, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, about 1 in 5 athletes had indications of this respiratory condition. The physicians who observed this decided to measure it – so they surveyed the US athletes who took part in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
The results, published in the August 2000 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, confirmed that more than 20% of American Olympians reported asthma or the use of medication to control it.
When treated appropriately, it doesn’t prevent kids from becoming top-level competitive athletes.