We examined the total energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity level (PAL) in 9 sprint athletes (SP group)and 7 endurance athletes (EN group) during the week before a competition. TEE was determined by the doubly labeled water method, and PAL was calculated by dividing the TEE value by the resting energy expenditure value. The TEE was found to be 3775±747 kcal/day in the SP group and 4571±734 kcal/day in the EN group, whereas the PAL was found to be 2.21±0.52 in the SP group and 2.77±0.51 in the EN group. The TEE and PAL values in EN group were significantly higher than those in the SP group (p<0.05). Moreover, we compared the TEE with the estimated energy requirement (EER) during the normal training period, which was determined using the dietary recommended intake (DRI) for athletes shown by Japan Institute of Sports Science; the EER was significantly lower than the TEE in both groups (p<0.05). Therefore, we believe that the EER calculated using DRI during the normal training period underestimated the TEE during the week before a competition. These results suggest that it is necessary for athletes to determine a specific PAL value for estimating EER during the week before a competition, while considering the different characteristic of the sports. And we believe that it is needed for sprint athletes to determine the lower PAL value during the week before a competition than the normal training period of DRI.
