Monkeypox virus infections (mpox) in humans have become increasingly common since the virus was first identified in 1970. Coverage of the ongoing mpox outbreak has emphasized the role of skin-to-skin contact in monkeypox virus transmission and has focused on the community of men who have sex with men. While close contact from sexual activity is currently the main mechanism of monkeypox virus transmission, the potential for contact sports to exacerbate the 2022 outbreak has largely been overlooked. Infectious diseases rapidly spread in sports with significant skin-to-skin contact (i.e., wrestling and other combat sports, American football, and rugby). Mpox has not yet reached the athletic community, but once it does, it may follow a similar pattern of other infectious skin diseases in sports. Thus, it is critical to initiate a discussion of the risk of mpox and potential preventive measures within a sports context. This Current Opinion aims to provide stakeholders within the sports community with a brief review of infectious skin diseases in athletes, an overview of mpox and why it is relevant to athletes, and recommendations to reduce the risk of monkeypox virus transmission within sports settings. Guidelines for sports participation in athletes exposed to mpox and those with suspected, probable, and confirmed cases of monkeypox are provided.

自 1970 年首次发现猴痘病毒 (mpox) 以来，人类感染猴痘病毒 (mpox) 已变得越来越普遍。对正在进行的猴痘病毒爆发的报道强调了皮肤接触在猴痘病毒传播中的作用，并重点关注男性群体与男性发生性关系的人。虽然性活动造成的密切接触是目前猴痘病毒传播的主要机制，但接触性运动加剧 20​​22 年疫情爆发的可能性在很大程度上被忽视了。传染病在有大量皮肤接触的运动中迅速传播（即摔跤和其他格斗运动、美式橄榄球和橄榄球）。 Mpox 尚未进入体育界，但一旦进入，它可能会遵循体育运动中其他传染性皮肤病的类似模式。因此，在体育背景下发起关于MPOX风险和潜在预防措施的讨论至关重要。本当前意见旨在为体育界的利益相关者提供对运动员传染性皮肤病的简要回顾、MPOX 的概述及其与运动员的相关性，以及降低体育环境中猴痘病毒传播风险的建议。提供了接触猴痘的运动员以及疑似、可能和确诊猴痘病例的运动员参加体育运动的指南。