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Weightlifting during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Transnational Study Regarding Motivation, Barriers, and Coping of Master Athletes

Author

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  • Marianne Huebner

    (Department of Statistics and Probability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA)

  • Wenjuan Ma

    (Center for Statistical Training and Consulting, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA)

  • Thomas Rieger

    (Faculty of Business and Sport, University of Europe for Applied Sciences, 58636 Iserlohn, Germany)

Abstract

Sport has been heavily impacted by the pandemic for over a year with restrictions and closures of facilities. The main aims of this study are to identify motivation and barriers for an international group of Master weightlifters (ages 35 and up) and analyze age and gender differences in pandemic-related changes to physical activities. A sample of 1051 older athletes, 523 women and 528 men, aged from 35 to 88 years, from Australia, Canada, Europe, and the USA provided responses to an online survey conducted in June 2021. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine age, gender, and regional differences about motivation, barriers, and pandemic impact on sport and physical activities. Participants showed enthusiasm for the opportunity to compete despite health challenges with increasing age but faced barriers due to access to training facilities and qualified coaches even before the pandemic. The oldest athletes had the greatest reduction in physical activities during the pandemic. Weightlifters had the opportunity to compete in virtual competitions and 44% would like to see some of these continued in the future, especially women. These findings highlight the benefits of competitive sports and may provide future directions in strength sports for organizations, sports clubs, and coaches.

Suggested Citation

  • Marianne Huebner & Wenjuan Ma & Thomas Rieger, 2021. "Weightlifting during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Transnational Study Regarding Motivation, Barriers, and Coping of Master Athletes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-16, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:17:p:9343-:d:628959
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Salvador Angosto & Rosendo Berengüí & José Miguel Vegara-Ferri & José María López-Gullón, 2020. "Motives and Commitment to Sport in Amateurs during Confinement: A Segmentation Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-20, October.
    2. William Meredith, 1993. "Measurement invariance, factor analysis and factorial invariance," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 58(4), pages 525-543, December.
    3. Iris A. Lesser & Carl P. Nienhuis, 2020. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Activity Behavior and Well-Being of Canadians," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-12, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Marianne Huebner & Friedrich Faber & Katharine Currie & Thomas Rieger, 2022. "How Do Master Weightlifters Train? A Transnational Study of Weightlifting Training Practices and Concurrent Training," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-20, February.

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