# Review on Wearable Technology in Sports: Concepts, Challenges and Opportunities
## 8 Challenges and Opportunities
### WT Comfort and Athlete Performance  
The impact of clothing on the comfort and performance of athletes has been extensively studied. Sportswear is crucial for providing physiological comfort, which directly affects the well-being, efficiency, and performance of athletes [174]. Textile comfort, often described as the \"physiological function\" of sportswear, can be measured and quantified through various methods, including wearer trials and laboratory measurements [174]. These measurements ensure efficient product development and certification processes, enabling the creation of sportswear that enhances comfort and performance.  
The most popular topics in comfort can be divided into two types: thermal and sensory comfort. Clothing comfort has a significant impact on athletes. Clothing comfort can be defined as the awareness of the thermal atmosphere provided by the clothes one wears, and this thermal atmosphere corresponds to a neutral sensation in a specific thermal environment without sweating [175]. Thermal comfort is a significant aspect of clothing and WT for athletes. Both rational and adaptive approaches have been employed to understand and predict thermal sensation accurately [176]. The rational approach, which considers near-sedentary activities and steady-state conditions, provides accurate predictions in controlled environments but may not fully represent actual thermal sensations experienced in the field. On the other hand, the adaptive approach allows for studying thermal comfort in everyday habitats, including real-world clothing and behaviors, and emphasizes the need for field studies in addition to laboratory experiments [176].  
Thermal comfort is associated with the ability of clothing to assist in regulating the user's body temperature and managing moisture [177; 178]. Thermal comfort for athletes positively influences their performance and overall well-being [178]. Thermal comfort for athletes can enhance their performance and impact their health, as it assists in regulating their body temperature and reducing fatigue [174; 179; 180].  
Sensory comfort refers to a type of fabric or material designed to provide a pleasant and soothing tactile experience, promoting a sense of physical well-being and relaxation [181; 182; 183]. It typically incorporates softness, breathability, and hypoallergenic properties to enhance comfort for the wearer. Sensory comfort for athletes enhances their freedom of movement and increases the comfort they experience during interactions with their clothing. The desired features in clothing that significantly impact athletes' performance can vary depending on the specific sports discipline. Similarly, the desired features in WT can also differ. For example, a WT used by a swimmer needs to be waterproof, while a football player may require a WT with high resistance to friction. However, common features sought in WTs used across all sports generally include ease of movement and a close fit to the body. To enhance athletic performance and ensure athlete well-being, there is a need to increase research and development efforts in clothing comfort within both the academic and ready-to-wear sectors.  
As seen in Tables 1 and 2, WT in sports often utilizes rigid and non-breathable materials made of polymers. To enhance the comfort of WT, it is expected that there will be an increase in the use of flexible, breathable, sweat-wicking, and skin-friendly textile surfaces, along with the development of sensor technologies for these surfaces.