TRAINING PRACTICES OF FILIPINO ATHLETES DURING THE EARLY COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

The imposition of COVID-19 lockdown restricted the daily activities of many people, including athletes. This study investigated the training practices of athletes in the Philippines during the early COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 442 athletes answered an online survey (May-July 2020), with questions pertaining to training practices, such as training frequency and duration. Data were analyzed according to: athlete classification (world-class, international, national, state, or recreational), sport category (individual or team), and sex (male or female). During lockdown, significant reductions in training frequency (except recreational, i.e., lower pre-lockdown training) and duration were observed for all athletic classifications. Similarly, training frequency and duration decreased significantly irrespective of sport category and sex. World class athletes appeared to be less affected by lockdown (types of exercise and specific training) as compared to lower-classification athletes. Athletes grouped in accordance with sex and sport category demonstrated little to no difference in training practices during the COVID-19 lockdown. The findings of the current study highlight the challenges experienced by athletes during lockdown, which may aid policy makers in the development of guidelines related to lockdown or lockdown-like situations to establish appropriate support for affected athletes. © 2022, University of Zagreb - Faculty of Kinesiology. All rights reserved.

Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 Disease;a Report of Iranian Professional Football

Background: All sporting events were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many athletes suffered from the infection. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and training days lost to COVID-19 in professional football. Methods: This questionnaire-based report on COVID-19 symptoms was conducted during the 2019-20 Iranian men’s premier league and second division football. Team members with positive PCR tests were enrolled in the study and were told to fill in the questionnaire after the resolution of the symptoms. The questionnaire was designed to measure the frequency, severity, and duration of COVID-19-related symptoms. Results: Out of 133 males, including 86 players and 47 team officials with a mean age of 30.81 ± 10.7 years, 63.2% reported experiencing no symptoms. The most frequent symptom was the loss of smell, while the least frequently reported symptom was gastrointestinal unrest. It was also revealed that our population missed an average of 12.89 days to return to the team training. Conclusions: Since most of the infected individuals in our population were asymptomatic proper case identification using regular PCR testing could stop the transmission of the disease more effectively. Also, more attention is required to be paid to less severe symptoms such as the loss of smell and taste. Moreover, the days lost due to COVID-19 are almost comparable to the days lost by other injuries for the players, which highlights the importance of taking proper preventive measures. © 2022, Author(s).

Let Us Let the Spectators Back in!

COVID-19 has stricken the world since the beginning of 2020. The pandemic is not controlled yet, and also the new variants of the virus are rapidly spreading. To reduce the virus’s person-to-person transmission rate, health authorities and the government ap-plied limitations to all activities (including sports activities). As a result, all football matches and team training worldwide were suspended for a limited period until a reduced infection risk was recognized. Even though training and competitions were gradu-ally resuming worldwide, no spectators were allowed to attend any matches. After the successful experience of resuming football matches and tournaments following tight restrictions in keeping the players, staff, and organizers safe, it is time to let the spectators back in the stadiums and establish the needed guidelines. This commentary will highlight the most important aspects and issues that need to be addressed if the football federation and associations decide to let the spectators back into the stadiums, as football will lose its enthusiasm and financial turnover. © 2021, Author(s).

Resumption of professional football during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study findings from Iran

Due to concerns of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, professional football (soccer) was terminated almost everywhere in the world in early 2020. These are the results from a prospective cohort study conducted in Iran to analyze the resumption of professional football during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic under assigned protocols and regulations. Sixteen teams consisting of 805 individuals formally agreed to follow the rules assigned by the ministry of health and CORONA headquarters in sport, and were subject to study monitoring. The resumption process was implemented over a 5-month period, beginning with a training phase followed by 14 match weeks of professional football. A self-declaration form was provided for the subjects to report any suspicious symptoms immediately and serial PCR testing was performed every 10 days using nasal swab samples. Those with positive tests were to be isolated until the symptoms were resolved or a negative test was returned. Of the 805 individuals included, 17.89% subjects were infected by the SARS-CoV‑2 virus (85 players and 59 staff members and officials). Only two matches were canceled in accordance with the regulations, and no severe cases were found. Case-tracing suggested that most transmissions occurred off the pitch. In conclusion, applying strict hygiene protocols and early case identification by performing repetitive PCR testing could benefit the resumption of professional football competitions. © 2021, Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland, ein Teil von Springer Nature.