IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i18p9770-d637111.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Preparation for the Tokyo Olympics: A Comprehensive Performance Assessment of Top Swimmers

Author

Listed:
  • Emese Csulak

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Árpád Petrov

    (Hungarian Coaches Association, 1146 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Tímea Kováts

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Márton Tokodi

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Bálint Lakatos

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Attila Kovács

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
    Department of Sports Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Levente Staub

    (Argus Cognitive, Inc., Lebanon, NH 03766-1441, USA)

  • Ferenc Imre Suhai

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Erzsébet Liliána Szabó

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Zsófia Dohy

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Hajnalka Vágó

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
    Department of Sports Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Dávid Becker

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Veronika Müller

    (Pulmonology Clinic, Semmelweis University, 1083 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Nóra Sydó

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
    Department of Sports Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
    Equal authorship.)

  • Béla Merkely

    (Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
    Department of Sports Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
    Equal authorship.)

Abstract

Background: The Olympic preparation of athletes has been highly influenced by COVID and post-COVID syndrome. As the complex screening of athletes is essential for safe and successful sports, we aimed to repeat the 2019-year sports cardiology screening of the Olympic Swim Team before the Olympics and to compare the results of COVID and non-COVID athletes. Methods: Patient history, electrocardiogram, laboratory tests, body composition analysis, echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) were performed. We used time-ranking points to compare swimming performance. Results: From April 2019, we examined 46 elite swimmers (24 ± 4 years). Fourteen swimmers had COVID infection; all cases were mild. During CPET there was no difference in the performance of COVID (male: VO 2 max 55 ± 4 vs. 56.5 ± 5 mL/kg/min, p = 0.53; female: VO 2 max 54.6 ± 4 vs. 56 ± 5.5 mL/kg/min, p = 0.86) vs. non-COVID athletes (male VO 2 max 56.7 ± 5 vs. 55.5 ± 4.5 mL/kg/min, p = 0.50; female 49.6 ± 3 vs. 50.7 ± 2.6 mL/kg/min, p = 0.47) between 2019 and 2021. When comparing the time results of the National Championships, 54.8% of the athletes showed an improvement ( p = 0.75). Conclusions: COVID infection with short-term detraining did not affect the performance of well-trained swimmers. According to our results, the COVID pandemic did not impair the effectiveness of the preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

Suggested Citation

  • Emese Csulak & Árpád Petrov & Tímea Kováts & Márton Tokodi & Bálint Lakatos & Attila Kovács & Levente Staub & Ferenc Imre Suhai & Erzsébet Liliána Szabó & Zsófia Dohy & Hajnalka Vágó & Dávid Becker & , 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Preparation for the Tokyo Olympics: A Comprehensive Performance Assessment of Top Swimmers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-12, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9770-:d:637111
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9770/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9770/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Monoem Haddad & Zied Abbes & Iñigo Mujika & Karim Chamari, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 on Swimming Training: Practical Recommendations during Home Confinement/Isolation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-12, April.
    2. Daniel Mon-López & Alfonso de la Rubia Riaza & Mónica Hontoria Galán & Ignacio Refoyo Roman, 2020. "The Impact of Covid-19 and the Effect of Psychological Factors on Training Conditions of Handball Players," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-14, September.
    3. Kazuki Kaneda & Noriaki Maeda & Yuta Suzuki & Kazuki Fukui & Yukio Urabe, 2021. "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life Space Extent and Apathy: A Comparison of Competitive Japanese Swimmers with and without Disabilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-10, May.
    4. Aleksandra Milovancev & Jovana Avakumovic & Nemanja Lakicevic & Valdemar Stajer & Darinka Korovljev & Nikola Todorovic & Antonino Bianco & Nebojsa Maksimovic & Sergej Ostojic & Patrik Drid, 2021. "Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Volleyball Athletes Following a COVID-19 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-8, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gloria Martinez Perez & Matthew VanSumeren & Michael Brown & Tamara Hew-Butler, 2021. "Pandemic-Induced Reductions on Swim Training Volume and Performance in Collegiate Swimmers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Sabrina Demarie & Emanuele Chirico & Christel Galvani, 2022. "Prediction and Analysis of Tokyo Olympic Games Swimming Results: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Swimmers’ Performance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-17, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anders Håkansson & Karin Moesch & Caroline Jönsson & Göran Kenttä, 2020. "Potentially Prolonged Psychological Distress from Postponed Olympic and Paralympic Games during COVID-19—Career Uncertainty in Elite Athletes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Jad Adrian Washif & Achraf Ammar & Khaled Trabelsi & Karim Chamari & Christabelle Sheau Miin Chong & Siti Fuzyma Ayu Mohd Kassim & Philip Chun Foong Lew & Abdulaziz Farooq & David B. Pyne & Carl James, 2021. "Regression Analysis of Perceived Stress among Elite Athletes from Changes in Diet, Routine and Well-Being: Effects of the COVID-19 Lockdown and “Bubble” Training Camps," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Francesca Gallè & Carmela Protano & Matteo Zaccarin & Stefano Zanni & Federica Valeriani & Giorgio Liguori & Vincenzo Romano Spica & Matteo Vitali, 2022. "Swimming at the Time of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study among Young Italian Competitive Athletes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-8, October.
    4. Sabrina Demarie & Emanuele Chirico & Christel Galvani, 2022. "Prediction and Analysis of Tokyo Olympic Games Swimming Results: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Swimmers’ Performance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-17, February.
    5. Todd McFall & John Whitehead, 2024. "Measuring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Elite Swimming Performance," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 25(5), pages 634-656, June.
    6. Damir Sekulic & Sime Versic & Andrew Decelis & Jose Castro-Piñero & Dejan Javorac & Goran Dimitric & Kemal Idrizovic & Igor Jukic & Toni Modric, 2021. "The Effect of the COVID-19 Lockdown on the Position-Specific Match Running Performance of Professional Football Players; Preliminary Observational Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-9, November.
    7. Anna Ussorowska-Krokosz & Jan Blecharz & Malgorzata Siekanska & Monika Grygorowicz, 2023. "Coping with COVID-19: Can a Sense of Coherence and Social Support Play a Protective Role in the Perception of COVID-19 by Polish Women Football Players? A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(13), pages 1-14, July.
    8. José Manuel Prieto-Fresco & Daniel Medina-Rebollo & Jesús Fernández-Gavira & Antonio Muñoz-Llerena, 2022. "A Study on the Injury Rate of Spanish Competitive Athletes as a Consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    9. Armando Monterrosa Quintero & Ana Rita Echeverri Rios & Juan Pedro Fuentes-Garcia & Juan Carlos Gonzalez Sanchez, 2022. "Levels of Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being in Non-Athletes and Martial Art Athletes during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-14, March.
    10. Souhail Hermassi & El Ghali Bouhafs & Nicola Luigi Bragazzi & Shiro Ichimura & Khaled E. Alsharji & Lawrence D. Hayes & René Schwesig, 2021. "Effects of Home Confinement on the Intensity of Physical Activity during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Team Handball According to Country, Gender, Competition Level, and Playing Position: A Worldwide Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-21, April.
    11. Alicja Jurecka & Paulina Skucińska & Artur Gądek, 2021. "Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Pandemic on Physical Activity, Mental Health and Quality of Life in Professional Athletes—A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-16, September.
    12. Jorge Lorenzo Calvo & Miriam Granado-Peinado & Alfonso de la Rubia & Diego Muriarte & Alberto Lorenzo & Daniel Mon-López, 2021. "Psychological States and Training Habits during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Spanish Basketball Athletes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-13, August.
    13. Sofia Romagnoli & Agnese Sbrollini & Ilaria Marcantoni & Micaela Morettini & Laura Burattini, 2022. "Review on Cardiorespiratory Complications after SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Young Adult Healthy Athletes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-15, May.
    14. Anamarija Jurcev Savicevic & Jasna Nincevic & Sime Versic & Sarah Cuschieri & Ante Bandalovic & Ante Turic & Boris Becir & Toni Modric & Damir Sekulic, 2021. "Performance of Professional Soccer Players before and after COVID-19 Infection; Observational Study with an Emphasis on Graduated Return to Play," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-14, November.
    15. Alfredo Córdova-Martínez & Alberto Caballero-García & Enrique Roche & Daniel Pérez-Valdecantos & David C. Noriega, 2022. "Effects and Causes of Detraining in Athletes Due to COVID-19: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-12, April.
    16. Abraham Batalla-Gavalda & Pau Cecilia-Gallego & Fernando Revillas-Ortega & Jose Vicente Beltran-Garrido, 2021. "Variations in the Mood States during the Different Phases of COVID-19’s Lockdown in Young Athletes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-9, September.
    17. Gloria Martinez Perez & Matthew VanSumeren & Michael Brown & Tamara Hew-Butler, 2021. "Pandemic-Induced Reductions on Swim Training Volume and Performance in Collegiate Swimmers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-13, December.
    18. Amanda Batista & Elmiro Neto & Luís Branquinho & Ricardo Ferraz & Joana Ribeiro & Pedro Forte & Lurdes Ávila-Carvalho, 2022. "Flexibility of Ballet Dancers in COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Observational Study in Portugal," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-11, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9770-:d:637111. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.