Annals of Applied Sport Science

The sudden rise of the coronavirus in the world had various effects on the sports industry. Nevertheless, sports organizations around the world adopted new and different methods to manage the crisis, which in turn, enriched global knowledge of sports management. Also, some industries changed their products and adapted their structure and performance according to the new situation. The new Experiences gained during the pandemic showed that sports organizations need crisis management programs to deal with crises in the future. So, it’s necessary to manage sports organizations with a different perspective and new plans to encounter future needs and problems. To do this, sports managers must learn from the experiences of the pandemic era and be prepared to predict the world in the future, and better manage their organizations.

Coronavirus-disease 19 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a global public health issue, and there is a desperate need for strategies of prevention, reduction, and treatment to halt the epidemic. The coronavirus affects the immune system, and individuals with a compromised immune system, such as those with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, are more susceptible to this virus. Lifestyle-related variables such as physical activity and nutritional supplements can decrease inflammatory markers, increase anti-inflammatory and antioxidant status, and improve the immune system. Lifestyle-related variables play preventive roles against various infectious diseases including COVID-19. This review highlights the effects of physical activity and nutrients supplements on the immune system and their possible benefits in combating the harms caused by infection with the COVID-19 virus.

Background. Depression is one of the major public health concerns among older adults. Participation in preferred leisure activities has been found to be effective for reducing the symptoms of depression among this population.
Objectives. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of the association between leisure participation and depression.
Methods. A systematic review of PubMed, Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar yielded 12 studies published between 2010 and 2020 (total participants = 10,681) that met the criteria for a meta-analysis. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software (CMA) was used to conduct the data analysis, and the correlation coefficient r was used as the effect size.
Results. The average effect size across all 12 studies was -.221 (Fisher’s Z = -5.696, P < .001), indicating that participation in leisure activities had a significant negative effect on depression for the elderly. In addition, the Q-value (116.003, P < .001) and the I-squared value (90.517) proved substantial heterogeneity between the 12 studies in the meta-analysis. The symmetrical funnel plot produced by the CMA analysis demonstrated a possible absence of publication bias.
Conclusion. This meta-analytic study reinforced the effectiveness of leisure participation in reducing the symptoms of depression among older adults.

Background. The cadets experienced particular difficulties in a pandemic period because due to isolation and faced a number of unanticipated challenges like stress, anxiety, and low learning outcomes.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of sport and traditional games to improve cadets’ learning performance and motivation to learning activities and future service duties.
Methods. The pedagogical experiment was organized at the Military Academy (Odesa, Ukraine) during the 2020-2021 academic year. The research group, on the basis of empirical research, designed the leisure time activities program using five categories of exercises: classical sport team games, individual sports, well-known Ukrainian traditional games; unknown foreign traditional games, and martial arts.
Results. During 20 weeks the researchers observed EG and CG groups conducting interviews, analyzing cadets’ behavior, monitoring their learning outcomes. The experiment findings revealed that the usage of sport and traditional games was an effective psychological and pedagogical technique to improve the learning process at the higher military educational establishment. On average, the technology effectiveness showed that qualitative changes by three points more. The largest increases were identified for high (3,6 points) and moderate degrees of effectiveness (7,8 points). At the same time, self-organized or poor-organized leisure leads to minor improvements in psychological condition and cognitive abilities among the cadets.
Conclusion. Consequently, the usage of sport and traditional games would be an effective instrument applied in a post-pandemic period at the higher military educational establishments. Also, the study presented the recommendations to implement the games during the learning process at the higher military educational establishments.

Background. Sports events are activities carried out in a specific schedule to handle all sports competitions and activities, such as seminars, meetings, courses, panels, and camps, organized for sports purposes.
Objectives. In this study, we aimed to discuss sports events during the pandemic.
Methods. In this context, the present study targeted the 16th NKolay Istanbul Half Marathon on April 4, 2021, and recruited the randomly selected 125 female (23.1%) and 417 male (76.9%) marathon runners in this event. We gathered the data using a demographic information format and a 14-item scale.
Results. We sought answers to four hypotheses by employing a descriptive survey model. Initially, we carried out a pilot study with a sample of 30 people to explore the scale’s validity and replicated the validity study for the primary sample. We performed exploratory factor analysis with the varimax rotation method for the validity study and attempted to confirm the resultant factorial structure using confirmatory factor analysis. We utilized a T-test and one-way analysis of variance to investigate whether the survey subscales differed significantly by the participants’ demographics. We ran statistical analyses on SPSS 20.0 at the 95% confidence interval.
Conclusion. The findings confirmed our first two hypotheses. We were able to confirm the third hypothesis partially. Accordingly, the participants significantly differed in the race destination subscale by only income. Finally, our results rejected the fourth hypothesis. Overall, we may assert that COVID-19 is a prime concern for half marathon runners.

Background. Possession of motor skills from an early age by interacting with the outdoor environment has a long-term effect on physical activity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a restriction to interacting directly with it especially kindergarten students when doing online learning or learning from home due to pandemic health measures. There is a series of literature that reviews the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on several aspects of human life, but a lack of attention remains on the impact of the disease on motor skills development for kindergarten students.
Objectives. To reveal the extent to which the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the motor skills of these kids.
Methods. The method used in this research is described with a quantitative approach. 80 kindergarten students were included in the sample, consisting of 45 boys and 35 girl students in the city of Padang, Indonesia with an age range of 4 to 5 years. A motor skills test was conducted using TGMD-2.
Results. After dealing with all data, findings showcased that the level of motor skills of these students was reduced during the pandemic when compared to before the outbreak. While before the pandemic, such a level of motor skills was in the average category whereas during the pandemic it shifted to the poor category.
Conclusion. This study provides the actual state of the impact of the pandemic COVID-19 on kindergarten students on their motor skills development.

Background. The spread of COVID-19 has several impacts on health behavior.
Objectives. This study was to study changes in health behaviors and factors influencing the health behaviors of office workers (OW) living in Bangkok during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methods. The online survey was designed to collect data on physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), stress, healthy food consumption, and sleep quality from 494 OW. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the factors influencing health behaviors due to the pandemic.
Results. During the pandemic, OW reported having good health, healthy food consumption, good sleep quality, and moderate PA (p < 0.05); but their stress and SB were increased (p < 0.05). Undergraduate OW reported being 4 times healthier than those with postgraduate education (OR = 4.30). Those with bachelor's degrees reported 3 times less stress than OW with postgraduate degrees (OR = 3.54). The PA of OW who earn 20,000-30,000 Baht/month was 3 times lower compared to higher earners (OR = 3.11). Younger and female OW had 2 times increase in SB (OR = 2.01 and 2.30, respectively). If returned to normal, OW wants to work as a hybrid, be more physically active, eat a nutritious diet, put greater emphasis on sleep and reduce SB.
Conclusions. Changes in health behaviors as a result of an epidemic depend on several factors, including age, education, and accommodation. After the pandemic, Bangkok OW increased its desire to take care of its health.

Background. The coronavirus pandemic began to have an impact on sports and athletes following the postponement of some sporting events. This change causes serious damage to the quality and quantity of training, by further setting athletes apart from the reality of daily training and uncertainty about their future.
Objectives. This research aims to give Generation Z athletes the freedom to use social media in the process of physical and mental exercises. Therefore, this study was designed to determine how Generation Z athletes are keeping up with their training routines by using social media.
Methods. This is a qualitative study. This study aims to describe, explain, and describe a phenomenon that is accompanied by evidence from various sources that have been narrated scientific form. The location of this research takes place in Bandung, Indonesia. Ten professional Generation Z athletes in Bandung, Indonesia were interviewed to explore the freedom of using social media while they are doing exercises at home.
Results. The result of the research shows that the use of technology for Generation Z athletes in improvising the process of physical and mental exercise is flexible, where they have the freedom to use social media so that their training spirit remains consistent.
Conclusion. The use of technology for Generation Z athletes in the covid-19 pandemic by utilizing various social media can explore information that is useful for themselves in maintaining physical fitness and mental stability in various forms of exercise variation.

Background. Persistent symptoms and physiological disorders that occur after the acute phase of COVID-19 disease are collectively referred to as post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS).
Objectives. Symptoms that become permanent after the acute phase in individuals with COVID-19 are called PACS. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on musculoskeletal health.
Methods. Forty physiotherapists, with a mean age of 32.00 ± 3.58 years, participated in the study. Twenty were in the post-acute-COVID period (PCG), and 20 were in a healthy control group (HCG) who had never had COVID-19. Wrist circumferences were measured, and dominant hands were identified. Hand grip strength (HGT) was assessed with a hydraulic dynamometer, while wrist flexion and extension strength were measured with an electronic dynamometer. The results of PCG and HCG participants were compared.
Results. Our findings show that PCG individuals had a significant decrease in grip strength in their non-dominant left hand (32.18 ± 5.21 kg) compared to the HCG group (36.38 ± 4.81 kg; p<0.05), while no significant differences were observed in right-hand grip strength (PCG: 33.93 ± 5.68 kg; HCG: 37.37 ± 4.75 kg; p>0.05) or isometric muscle strength. The decreased left-hand grip strength was interpreted as a compensatory mechanism for the loss of strength on the dominant side, where the dominant hand was used more frequently after the illness.
Conclusion. The data suggest that COVID-19 may lead to decreased muscle performance rather than direct structural impairments. In particular, left-hand grip strength was significantly reduced by 4.2 kg (PCG: 32.18 ± 5.21 kg vs. HCG: 36.38 ± 4.81 kg; p<0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in right-hand grip strength or isometric muscle strength. Although wrist circumference was significantly smaller in PCG participants (p < 0.05), the lack of a significant difference in the Extension Contraction Test (ECT) suggests that functional recovery of frequently used muscle groups is possible after the illness. These findings are crucial for designing effective rehabilitation strategies and informing future research.