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.

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The Intelligence and Scientific Support team of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) surveyed all JOC-Athletes Targeted for Olympic High Performance (n=995) on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020. The athletes responded to a web-based questionnaire. This study analyzed psychological stress responses and communication status from questionnaire data collected from identical participants using similar methods to the JOC Athlete Survey Part-1 (Sugita et al., 2021). Results indicated that summer sports athletes had significantly higher stress responses than winter sports athletes. Moreover, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) score suggested that the proportion of summer sports athletes suffering from psychological distress (K6≧13) exceeded 10%. Mental health of summer sports athletes might have deteriorated due to the psychological impact of postponing the Tokyo 2020 Games. The stress response and mental health scores were positively correlated with stressors and negatively correlated with stress coping ability (Sense of Coherence: SOC). We speculate that reducing stressors associated with self-restraint and improving individual athletes' SOC might reduce stress responses and maintain or improve their mental health. Furthermore, the lack of communication between the athletes and their teammates and the coaches was indicated, especially during the state of emergency. Therefore, more holistic support activities for providing psychological support to Japanese elite athletes with mental health concerns using communication technologies, including videos and web conferences, might be required in the future.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most athletes to be inactive, and they were unable to follow there normal training regimen. In Japan, there was the state of emergency from April to May in 2020, and all training facilities at the Japan High performance Sport Center were closed. The training gym's strength and conditioning coaches had to prepare for the re-opening of the gym. In an effort to support the return to training of the athletes, we had to consider possible risk factors and potential changes in the physical attributes following the periods of inactivity. we have developed our training programs by making the most of the limited available evidence.

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The Japan High Performance Sport Center (JHPSC) has been taking an integrated approach by combining Olympic and Paralympic sports in order to strengthen international competitiveness in Japan. Since 2013, we have been operating the High Performance Gym (HPG), which is equipped with a state-of-art training facility at the JHPSC. Our mission is to offer effective, individualized training programs for athletes through assessing their functional abilities. Our main assessment programs consist of postural, aerobic and/or anaerobic, and strength and/or power assessments. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all athletes were inactive and unable to train normally. In Japan, there was a state of emergency, from April to May 2020, and as a result all training facilities at the JHPSC were closed. To support the athletes' return to training, the HPG has implemented specialized and customized fitness assessments in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. These assessments have been vital to help athletes prepare for the Olympics and Paralympics by improving their performance.

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