抄録
The Intelligence and Scientific Support team of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) surveyed all JOC-Athletes Targeted for Olympic High Performance (n=1693) on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020. The athletes responded to a web-based questionnaire. We received 995 responses from JOC Olympic Designated Athletes' (the response rate was 58.8%) and 37 National Federations (31 summer and 6 winter sports federations). This paper presents an overview of the survey results on the training environment, training limitations, information channels, information gathering methods, and the usefulness of training-related information. The results indicated the enormous impact of COVID-19 on the Japanese elite athletes' training; only 3.3% of summer and 2.2% of winter sports athletes reported that COVID-19 did not constrain their training. Various factors restricted the athletes' training venues; more than half the athletes responded that "closure of training sites," "prohibition of group activities," and "fear of COVID-19 infection" were the limiting factors. However, several athletes could continue their training by obtaining and using relevant information. They responded, "I checked and collected information from relevant websites," which was their typical source of information, suggesting that they had to select the correct information from a vast amount of available data. We concluded that a comprehensive platform combining highly relevant information for improving athletic performance is required. The JOC continues to provide appropriate information that meets athletes' needs promptly and in detail. JOC plans to continue improving efforts for supporting athletes through intelligence and scientific supports.
