We studied the interrelations between G/A-polymorphism of EPAS 1 gene(rs1867785) and macimal oxygen consumption (VO2max) in Russian male athletes. There were two groups in the study: athletes of different sport specialization (n = 241) and nonathletic males (n = 92). It was found that the frequency of AA and AG genotype of EPAS1 gene in the group of athletes was higher (χ2 = 14.16, p = 0.03). In the subgroups with average (EPAS1*A 38.1% and EPAS1*G 61.9%) and high ((EPAS1*A 41.8% and EPAS1*G 58.2%) VO2max values, the frequency of these alleles was significantly different from those in the control group (χ2 = 7.53, p = 0.006 and χ2 = 6.58, p = 0.01, respectively). This suggests that higher aerobic capacities are caused by the presence of at least one minor A-Allele of the EPAS1 gene in the genome of an athlete.