Background: In recent years, comprehensive analyses using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) have been conducted to identify genetic factors related to athletic performance. In this study, we investigated the association between genetic variants and elite wrestling status across multiple ethnic groups using a genome-wide genotyping approach. Methods: This study included 168 elite wrestlers (64 Japanese, 67 Turkish, and 36 Russian), all of whom had competed in international tournaments, including the Olympic Games. Control groups consisted of 306 Japanese, 137 Turkish, and 173 Russian individuals without elite athletic backgrounds. We performed a GWAS comparing allele frequencies of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between elite wrestlers and controls in each ethnic cohort. Cross-population analysis comprised (1) identifying SNPs with nominal significance (p < 0.05) in all three groups, then (2) meta-analyzing overlapped SNPs to assess effect consistency and combined significance. Finally, we investigated whether the most significant SNPs were associated with gene expression in skeletal muscle in 23 physically active men. Results: The GWAS identified 328,388 (Japanese), 23,932 (Turkish), and 30,385 (Russian) SNPs reaching nominal significance. Meta-analysis revealed that the ATP2A3 rs6502758 and UNC5C rs265061 polymorphisms were associated (p < 0.0001) with elite wrestling status across all three populations. Both variants are located in intronic regions and influence the expression of their respective genes in skeletal muscle. Conclusions: This is the first study to investigate gene polymorphisms associated with elite wrestling status in a multi-ethnic cohort. ATP2A3 rs6502758 and UNC5C rs265061 polymorphisms may represent important genetic factors associated with achieving an elite status in wrestling, irrespective of ethnicity.

Background: Exercise addiction, marked by an inability to control exercise and associated with distress that clinically impairs daily activities, is a significant but underrecognized issue in physical activity and health. While its physiological, psychological, and behavioral aspects have been studied, the genetic basis of exercise addiction remains poorly understood, requiring further investigation. The present study conducted a genome-wide association study of exercise addiction among elite Turkish wrestlers. Methods: The sample comprised 67 male wrestlers (34 freestyle wrestlers and 33 Greco-Roman wrestlers). Exercise addiction was assessed using the Exercise Addiction Scale. Whole-genome genotyping was performed using DNA microarray. Results: Using a genome-wide approach (p < 1.0 × 10⁻⁵), we identified six suggestively significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with exercise addiction status. Of these, the high-addiction alleles of five SNPs (PRDM10 rs74345126, near PTPRU rs72652685, HADHB rs6745226, XIRP2 rs17614860, and near GAREM2 rs1025542) have previously been associated with an increased risk of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression or higher levels of physical activity. We also examined potential associations between the genetic markers previously linked to addiction-related traits such as obsessive–compulsive disorder and cigarette smoking, and personality traits linked to negative emotions including neuroticism. Using this candidate gene approach (p < 0.05), we identified three additional SNPs associated with exercise addiction in the same direction of association (DEFB135 rs4841662, BCL11A rs7599488, and CSRNP3 rs1551336). Conclusions: The present study provides preliminary evidence for the genetic basis of exercise addiction, highlighting specific SNPs that may play a role in the development of this condition among elite wrestlers.

Exercise addiction is a behavior that may dysregulate athletic performance, and social and professional interactions of athletes. Whereas environmental factors including training routines and personal traits could contribute to exercise addiction, recent studies have emphasized the importance of genetic predisposition, leading to development of a subfield known as sports psychogenetics. In sports psychogenetics, ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) and dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) genes, located on chromosome 11 in a close proximity, have attracted research interest due to their involvement in dopaminergic signaling playing a crucial role in reward processing, motivation, cognition and behavior. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate potential associations between 14 polymorphisms in ANKK1/DRD2 and exercise addiction among elite badminton players (n = 39) and elite wrestlers (n = 68). Exercise addiction was assessed using a psychometric screening instrument and allele frequencies of the selected polymorphisms were analyzed through genotyping with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray. Results indicated that two SNPs, rs7118900 and rs4436578, were significantly and independently associated with exercise addiction. Rs7118900 has previously been associated with an increased risk of drug addiction, neuroticism, and depressed effect whereas rs4436578 has been associated with neuroticism. In addition to those SNPS, rs2283265 and rs1125394 SNPs were also linked to exercise addiction in a branch-independent manner. Therefore, it is proposed that these SNPs could serve as genetic markers for identifying individuals at high risk of exercise addiction among athletes. However, further research is needed to understand the involvement of these SNPs in exercise addiction more comprehensively.