Effectiveness of patient triage at the orthopedic hospital and the hygiene concept in a professional handball team in the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV­2) pandemic wave in Germany in spring 2020 challenged the largely unprepared healthcare system. A prevention concept was implemented to protect the vulnerable patient group at our orthopedic department. The patient triage during the pre-admission process included screening for symptoms and obtaining information on travel, occupation, contact and cluster (TOCC) [16].In March 2020, all sporting events were also cancelled or postponed [12]. Mitigation strategies for sport activities were necessary to restart training and competition. For the professional handball team of the Sport Club Magdeburg (SCM), a hygiene concept including strict mitigation measures combined with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test regime was implemented.We reviewed 15,739 patient contacts in a 12-month period at orthopedic department during the SARS-CoV­2 pandemic. This epidemiological, retrospective study presents the results of patient triage detecting cases with suspected SARS-CoV­2 infections when entering the clinic. We also considered 2328 inpatient PCR test results and the infection rates among the medical staff. At the same period, professional athletes underwent 1428 PCR tests as a part of the hygiene concept.During the triage process, 333 cases (2.12%) with suspected SARS-CoV­2 infections were detected at the orthopedic outpatient department. Three patients had a positive PCR test result after triage. Another four positive PCR tests were found among the inpatient group and one positive result among the medical staff. In the athletes' cohort, none of the 1428 PCR tests was positive.Patient triage as a part of the preadmission process is an effective tool to protect the maximum-care hospital from a SARS-CoV­2 mass outbreak. A hygiene concept with a defined PCR test regime protects a professional athlete team from SARS-CoV­2 infections during international competition and training.

Leading and managing during COVID-19: empirical insights from the Norwegian women's national handball team in a time of crisis. (Special Issue: Global challenges and innovations in sport.)

From March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic influenced elite sport as uncertainty and restrictions came with the crisis. National teams had to implement crisis management. This qualitative case study examines how the leader group led and managed the Norwegian national women's handball team through three phases of the crisis, trying to uphold performance. We found that collective leadership efforts led to new ways to use digital communication tools and flexible management. From a framework of concepts from organisational culture, leadership, and management during a crisis, we argue that the leader group used the pandemic to take advantage of the opportunities. They implemented a focus on improving the players' physical and tactical conditions and their restitution. Furthermore, the leader group draw on robust institutional factors such as trust to handle the crisis. This study contributes to knowledge on leadership and management in a time of crisis and, in particular, on COVID-19.

Effect of Coronavirus 19 on Maintaining Balance in Skilled Athletes.

Preliminary studies have reported that motor control is negatively impacted following an infection of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on maintaining balance in highly skilled athletes. As part of a larger investigation that was initiated in 2019, twelve professional handball players were recruited to participate in a study that was designed to measure static balance performance. Following the initial pre-test, six participants (body height 184.8 ± 4.7 cm; body weight 85.5 ± 3.3 kg; age 21.3 ± 1.2 years) were infected with COVID-19. The remaining six participants (body height 188.7 ± 2.6 cm; body weight 92.3 ± 3.7 kg; age 26.3 ± 3.3 years) never tested positive for COVID-19 and were presumably not infected with the virus. The experimental design required all the participants to complete an initial balance assessment (pre-test) and a later balance assessment (post-test). To fully analyze our data, we conducted a 2 (condition: COVID, no-COVID) X 2 (test: pre-test, post-test) ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor. Our analysis revealed that the skilled athletes who contracted COVID-19 had a significant decrease in balance performance from the pre-test that occurred prior to being infected with COVID-19 relative to the post-test that occurred following the COVID-19 infection. Additionally, the skilled athletes who were not infected with COVID-19 did not demonstrate the same deterioration in balance performance in the same period. This study highlights the impact COVID-19 has on static balance performance in a group of highly skilled handball players. Longitudinal studies are needed to fully understand the lasting impacts COVID-19 has on motor behavior.

Effects of Tabata and HIIT Programs Regarding Body Composition and Endurance Performance among Female Handball Players

(1) Background: The purpose of the study was to analyze the effect of two different training modes towards the development of body composition, aerobic and anaerobic endurance of female handball players aged 18-23, in COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: 18 female handball players from the second division were divided into two groups: Group 1 subjected to Tabata Program (n=9) and Group 2 trained using HIIT Program (n=9). (3) Results: Paired Sample T-Test was carried in the statistical analysis and the significance level was determined (p < .005). The group subjected to HIIT training achieved greater increases in endurance performance than the group carrying out Tabata training (p < .005). (4) Conclusions: Different results were obtained when studying changes regarding segmental analysis of upper, lower limbs and trunk. Both groups undergoing Tabata and HIIT training registered improvements.

No sports, no spectators - no media, no money? The importance of spectators and broadcasting for professional sports during COVID-19. (Special Issue: COVID-19 and the soccer world: early impressions and initial responses.)

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic is giving sports a timeout. Due to the risk of infection, in Germany no sports events with live spectators were allowed for weeks starting on March 13. The question arises, what would be the impact on spectators and with that on live broadcasting for different sports? While professional sport leagues like handball and hockey (ice hockey) stopped, the football (soccer) league restarted games without spectators on May 16. Using two approaches of sports action as a public presentation of performance and the consumption capital theory, the share of revenues like media, spectators, sponsoring of the biggest sport leagues in Germany is compared. Following this up, the economic impact of COVID-19 on professional sports in Germany is explained. As a result games without spectators ('ghost games'), the gap between major sports and minor sports seems to be becoming larger.

"Playing with injury": the health-related aspects of a career in women's handball. (Special Issue: Sociology of sport.)

Health, injury, and pain within the social contexts of sports remain relevant. Sociologists have repeatedly pointed out a set of factors that shape the sociocultural background of sports and aim to normalize the high risk of injury, pain, and negative impacts on health. The literature contains inspiring studies with valuable guidelines for conceptualizing this issue. Some researchers have focused on the social factors shaping athletes' experiences with health-related risks and have proven that it is possible to oppose the deeply rooted "culture of risk." The fact that most studies on the subject involve men's sports increases the importance of those that address health-related risks in women's sports. The literature includes few works concerning the sociocultural contexts of injury, pain, or health issues in handball. The aim of this study was to learn about the opinions and experiences of professional female handball players related to health in their discipline. Three main directions of research were followed: (1) health as a value;(2) significance of injury and pain;and (3) effect of health-related risks on a career in sports. The data were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic. The results do not reflect the opinions or experiences of the participants during the period of heightened epidemiological risk. The sample comprised female athletes (n=52) who participated in the Polish First League of women's handball and represented the highest competitive level in their category in Poland.

Successful Reboot of High-Performance Sporting Activities by Japanese National Women's Handball Team in Tokyo, 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Initiative Using the Japan Sports-Cyber Physical System (JS-CPS) of the Sports Research Innovation Project (SRIP).

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted sporting activities across the world. However, practical training strategies for athletes to reduce the risk of infection during the pandemic have not been definitively studied. The purpose of this report was to provide an overview of the challenges we encountered during the reboot of high-performance sporting activities of the Japanese national handball team during the 3rd wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo, Japan. Twenty-nine Japanese national women's handball players and 24 staff participated in the study. To initiate the reboot of their first training camp after COVID-19 stay-home social policy, we conducted: web-based health-monitoring, SARS-CoV-2 screening with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, real-time automated quantitative monitoring of social distancing on court using a moving image-based artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, physical intensity evaluation with wearable heart rate (HR) and acceleration sensors, and a self-reported online questionnaire. The training camp was conducted successfully with no COVID-19 infections. The web-based health monitoring and the frequent PCR testing with short turnaround times contributed remarkably to early detection of athletes' health problems and to risk screening. During handball, AI-based on-court social-distance monitoring revealed key time-dependent spatial metrics to define player-to-player proximity. This information facilitated appropriate on- and off-game distancing behavior for teammates. Athletes regularly achieved around 80% of maximum HR during training, indicating anticipated improvements in achieving their physical intensities. Self-reported questionnaires related to the COVID management in the training camp revealed a sense of security among the athletes that allowed them to focus singularly on their training. The challenges discussed herein provided us considerable knowledge about creating and managing a safe environment for high-performing athletes in the COVID-19 pandemic via the Japan Sports-Cyber Physical System (JS-CPS) of the Sports Research Innovation Project (SRIP, Japan Sports Agency, Tokyo, Japan). This report is envisioned to provide informed decisions to coaches, trainers, policymakers from the sports federations in creating targeted, infection-free, sporting and training environments.