Sports participation during a lockdown. How COVID-19 changed the sports frequency and motivation of participants in club, event, and online sports

Abstract

The impact of the COVID-19 crisis and its related measures on how people practice and experience leisure continues to be significant. In the current study, a survey measuring sport participation during the third week of the first lockdown, that started on the 18 th of March 2020 and has been gradually loosened as of the 18 th of April 2020, was carried out among 13,515 Flemish citizens. Through a canonical correlation analysis, four clusters of COVID-19-sports-participants are distinguished, i.e. people who experience restrictions when it comes to (i) time and sports infrastructure, (ii) closed sports clubs and cancelled event activities, (iii) time and fear/sickness, and (iv) those who experience no impact. Logistic regression results indicate that participants with online sports experience have a (more) positive effect on their sports participation behaviour, while less missing and having to adapt their previous sports behaviour. The opposite is found for sports club members, while former sports event participation has a positive effect on sports frequency, but a negative effect on their motivation. The results of both analyses give insight into the role that different policy instruments (i.e. sports clubs, events, type of sports) play in keeping different clusters of sports participants motivated to stay sports-active.

Physical Activity Behavior During and After COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders—A Longitudinal Study in the Austrian, German, and Italian Alps

“…PA, defined as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure” ( 14 ) however, is beneficial for social well-being and physical and mental health ( 15 – 23 ). According to the WHO guidelines, adults (18–64 years) should do at least 150-300 min of moderate-intensity aerobic PA per week, or at least 75–150 min of vigorous-intensity aerobic PA per week, or an equivalent combination of both for substantial health benefits ( 24 ).…”

“…Moreover, studies from different countries and cross-country studies ( 64 , 73 – 75 ) examining changes in PA during the pandemic should be taken with caution and can only be partially compared because the severity and the duration of measures varied from country to country and even from region to region ( 36 , 70 ). To gain a full insight of whether different restrictions may have differing effects on PA behavior ( 15 ), it would be beneficial to investigate similar countries or regions.…”

Two of a Kind? Similarities and Differences between Runners and Walkers in Sociodemographic Characteristics, Sports Related Characteristics and Wearable Usage

“…In addition, knowledge on the profiles of walking participants in general is sparse. Earlier studies have shown that profiles of running and walking participants further diversified because of COVID-19 [ 18 , 37 , 38 , 41 , 42 , 44 ]. Due to the temporary closing of sports clubs and sports infrastructure, some sports participants discovered the ease of running and walking (low threshold, low cost, etc.)…”

“…Due to the temporary closing of sports clubs and sports infrastructure, some sports participants discovered the ease of running and walking (low threshold, low cost, etc.) [ 38 , 43 , 44 ] as they were two of the few sports that were allowed to be practiced in Belgium [ 18 , 41 , 42 ]. In addition, it is expected that COVID-19 caused an increase in the use of wearables because of the need of these technologies for virtual sports events or to stay connected with friends during lockdowns.…”

“…Belgium, which serves as a context for this study, imposed a so-called light lockdown. This light lockdown meant a closing of schools, sports clubs, sports infrastructures, and the cancellation of all events, but people were encouraged to exercise outdoors (limited, however, to walking, running, cycling, and roller skating) with one sporting friend [ 18 , 41 , 42 ]. Because a large share of sports participants were not able to practice their favourite sport in sports infrastructures or sports clubs, people discovered other easy-to-practice sports, such as running, walking or cycling (low threshold, no infrastructure, limited cost, possible to practice alone, etc.)…”