Sports Performance and Health (in Times of COVID-19)

Dear Colleagues,

Sports performance is predominantly associated with elite sport, where athletes strive for a place on the podium, the most prestigious award being, probably, an Olympic gold medal. On the other hand, recreational athletes more and more tend to mimic elite athletes by trying to push their own limits. Both elite and recreational athletes, therefore, attempt to optimize their performance, but such optimization is associated with increased risk of injury and, in the current situation, with major coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related challenges. Therefore, despite the well-known positive health effects of physical activity, the prevention and management of sports-related injuries and issues in connection with COVID-19 remain major challenges to be addressed. Treating sports injuries and taking measures to ensure a safe sports participation in times of COVID-19 are often difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, and thus, preventive strategies and activities are justified on the basis of both medical and economic grounds. We are interested in manuscripts that examine sports performance- and health-related issues, also in the context of the current restrictions due to COVID-19. Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Benefits of sport to physical or mental health
• Tradeoffs between sports performance and health
• Optimization of sports performance by training, technique, and/or tactics enhancement
• Impacts of COVID-19-related restrictions on sports performance and health
• Prevention and management of sport injuries
• Prevention and management of COVID-19 infections in sports
• Optimization of sports equipment to increase performance and/or decrease the risk of injury and COVID-19
• Innovations for sports performance, health, load monitoring, and digital coaching (in times of COVID-19)

Prof. Dr. Matej Supej
PD Dr. Jörg Spörri
Guest Editors

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