Reflections on the impact of the pandemic to return to sport
Anna Jordana, predoctoral researcher at the UAB Research Group in Sport and Exercise Psychology, participated as zero row in the conference The Value of Sport in the 21st Century dedicated to sport as a tool for health, held on May 5th.
Female sport has been one of the highest risk groups as a result of the pandemic.
The conference focused on the impact of the pandemic on sports at all levels. Speakers reflected on the preventive measures imposed to the sports context (e.g. sports facilities, clubs, young athletes, general population), on the benefits of sport on physical and mental health, in particular during the pandemic period, and on how to deal with the return to sport with motivation and confidence.
Anna Jordana, in her speech, shared the results of the study on the covid-19 impact during lockdown on the mental health of adolescent athletes who combine study and sport (dual career). The study was carried out within the framework of the HeDuCa R&D project, funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
The study was performed on 550 children aged 13 to 18 years during the strictest lockdown period. The results identified as the most at-risk group female athletes undertaking demanding academic courses (e.g., high school), with a low socioeconomic level, and not receiving support from their clubs. A yet identified group at risk in a pre-pandemic situation. The impact on their daily lives was very high in terms of mental health (with depression or anxiety), socialization, confidence and self-rest and recovery. The results also showed how the adaptation of clubs to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic was very heterogeneous.
As main conclusions, the researcher highlighted the civil responsibility that clubs have in accompanying athletes, by supporting them both physically and psychologically; for athletes, being part of a club means belonging to a group of people who are going through a similar situation to yours.
Anna collected the vision of the University contribution to the resolution of such problems. The university offers x-rays of the situation with research data, but decision-making on training or other actions in clubs is in the hands of their managers and technical teams: Clubs must take a step forward and consider the result of research when allocating resources.
The conference, organized by the Barcelona Olympic Foundation, was attended by professionals in the field of sports: August Tarragó, President of ADECAF, the Business Association of Catalan Fitness Clubs; Mariona Violan, sports medicine specialist; Gerard Esteva, president of the UFEC, Union of Catalan Sports Federations; Sandra Nogués, president of the sports psychology section of the Catalan Official Association of Psychology; and Anna Jordana, predoctoral researcher and member of the UAB Sports Research Institute and Research Group in Sport and Exercise Psychology. The event was conducted by the journalist Jordi Fandiño.