Preparing athletes and staff for the first pandemic" Olympic Games."
13 Jul 2021-Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness (J Sports Med Phys Fitness)-Vol. 61, Iss: 8, pp 1052-1060
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider the various challenges posed by the COVID pandemic and provide information for coaching support staff to improve the preparation for Tokyo Olympics as well as consider the possible performance implications of this unique Olympic edition.
Abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus causing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of pandemic on March 11, 2020, cases have been increasing around the World with more than 3-million deaths recorded and a daily number of COVID-19 cases 20 times higher than when the Olympics were postponed, at the time of writing. Governments adopted various lockdown measures forcing isolation for many weeks/months depending on the evolution of the disease in each country. The rapid transmission of the disease forced the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to be postponed for one year. Travel restrictions, quarantine requirements and isolation have been the norm for many athletes in preparation for the Olympic Games. Also, due to the measures put in place to reduce the spread of the disease, sporting facilities have been closed and competitions cancelled forcing athletes and their staff to find alternative solutions to maintain performance and continue preparing for the Olympics. This unique challenge is affecting the whole World, and while vaccination programs start to be deployed, in a few months the world will see the first Olympic Games' edition during a pandemic. The aim of this special paper was to consider the various challenges posed by the COVID pandemic and to provide information for coaching support staff to improve the preparation for Tokyo Olympics as well as consider the possible performance implications of this unique Olympic edition.
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TL;DR: In this paper , a study aimed to analyze perceived mental health impact, measured as clinical degree of depression and anxiety, worry about one's sport, and behavioral change with respect to video gaming behavior, in high-school athletes in Sweden.
Abstract: Objectives Mental health consequences and behavior change has been described in elite athletes following the vast impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world of sports. However, most study samples have been of limited size, and few studies have assessed student-athletes. This study aimed to analyze perceived mental health impact, measured as clinical degree of depression and anxiety, worry about one's sport and about one's career, and behavioral change with respect to video gaming behavior, in high-school athletes in Sweden. Methods Data on anxiety and depression as well as on perceived behavioral changes during COVID-19 were collected from students at sports high schools in Sweden (N = 7,025) in February 2021, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Results Sixteen and 14% met criteria of moderate/severe depression and anxiety, respectively. Many respondents reported feeling mentally worse during the pandemic (66%), and were worried about the future of their sport (45%) or about their own future in sports (45%). Increased gaming behavior during COVID-19 was reported by 29%. All mental health variables were significantly more common in women, except increased gaming (more common in men). Being worried about one's career was less common in winter sports, more common in team sports and more common in older student-athletes, and associated with both depression and anxiety in regression analyses. Discussion Self-reported mental health impact of COVID-19 is substantial in student-athletes, and even more so in women and in team sports. The lower impact in winter athletes suggests a moderating effect of the seasons in which the COVID-19 outbreak occurred.
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TL;DR: The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games was one of the largest international mass-gathering events held after the beginning of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as mentioned in this paper .
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TL;DR: The Perceived Stress Scale showed adequate reliability and, as predicted, was correlated with life-event scores, depressive and physical symptomatology, utilization of health services, social anxiety, and smoking-reduction maintenance and was a better predictor of the outcome in question than were life- event scores.
Abstract: This paper presents evidence from three samples, two of college students and one of participants in a community smoking-cessation program, for the reliability and validity of a 14-item instrument, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), designed to measure the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. The PSS showed adequate reliability and, as predicted, was correlated with life-event scores, depressive and physical symptomatology, utilization of health services, social anxiety, and smoking-reduction maintenance. In all comparisons, the PSS was a better predictor of the outcome in question than were life-event scores. When compared to a depressive symptomatology scale, the PSS was found to measure a different and independently predictive construct. Additional data indicate adequate reliability and validity of a four-item version of the PSS for telephone interviews. The PSS is suggested for examining the role of nonspecific appraised stress in the etiology of disease and behavioral disorders and as an outcome measure of experienced levels of stress.
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TL;DR: The outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has induced a considerable degree of fear, emotional stress and anxiety among individuals around the world.
Abstract: The outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has induced a considerable degree of fear, emotional stress and anxiety among individuals around t
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TL;DR: The use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in competitive athletes who recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-10) to detect myocardial inflammation that would identify high-risk athletes for return to competitive play is investigated.
Abstract: This study investigates the use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in competitive athletes who recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-10) to detect myocardial inflammation that would identify high-risk athletes for return to competitive play.
393 citations
TL;DR: A timeline of the major scientific discoveries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic showcases the collaborative efforts that enabled the key aspects of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 to be reported at unprecedented speed.
Abstract: Since the initial reports of a cluster of pneumonia cases of unidentified origin in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the novel coronavirus that causes this disease — severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) — has spread throughout the world, igniting the twenty-first century’s deadliest pandemic. Over the past 12 months, a dizzying array of information has emerged from numerous laboratories, covering everything from the putative origin of SARS-CoV-2 to the development of numerous candidate vaccines. Many immunologists quickly pivoted from their existing research to focus on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and, owing to this unprecedented convergence of efforts on one viral infection, a remarkable body of work has been produced and disseminated, through both preprint servers and peer-reviewed journals. Here, we take readers through the timeline of key discoveries during the first year of the pandemic, which showcases the extraordinary leaps in our understanding of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and highlights gaps in our knowledge as well as areas for future investigations. A timeline of the major scientific discoveries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic showcases the collaborative efforts that enabled the key aspects of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 to be reported at unprecedented speed.
252 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a retrospective analysis of data from the Israeli Ministry of Health collected between 28 August 2020 and 24 February 2021, and studied the temporal dynamics of the number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations after the vaccination campaign, which was initiated on 20 December 2020.
Abstract: Studies on the real-life effect of the BNT162b2 vaccine for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention are urgently needed. In this study, we conducted a retrospective analysis of data from the Israeli Ministry of Health collected between 28 August 2020 and 24 February 2021. We studied the temporal dynamics of the number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations after the vaccination campaign, which was initiated on 20 December 2020. To distinguish the possible effects of the vaccination on cases and hospitalizations from other factors, including a third lockdown implemented on 8 January 2021, we performed several comparisons: (1) individuals aged 60 years and older prioritized to receive the vaccine first versus younger age groups; (2) the January lockdown versus the September lockdown; and (3) early-vaccinated versus late-vaccinated cities. A larger and earlier decrease in COVID-19 cases and hospitalization was observed in individuals older than 60 years, followed by younger age groups, by the order of vaccination prioritization. This pattern was not observed in the previous lockdown and was more pronounced in early-vaccinated cities. Our analysis demonstrates the real-life effect of a national vaccination campaign on the pandemic dynamics.
148 citations