Speakers
Description
Objectives
The focus of this study is on how sports participants have been impacted by COVID-19, and its related measures, and this on different moments in the pandemic. More particularly, we aim to investigate how sports participants’ behaviour and motivations have changed (i) on different phases during the COVID-19 pandemic and this for (ii) both adults and their children.
Methods
Data have been gathered through a number of questionnaires that have been carried out at different phases during the pandemic. In the first month after the initial lockdown (March 2020), two large-scale online surveys have been carried out (see also Constandt et al., 2020; Helsen et al., 2021; Thibaut et al., 2021). While also other data are available from a number of questionnaires, the focus of the current study will be on a comparison of the former studies with the study that is carried out at the moment, during the so-called fourth wave (i.e. Omicron).
Findings & discussion
For the first wave it was found that, opposite to expectations, sports participation behaviour had increased. Nevertheless, sports participants indicated to miss their previous sports participation behaviour and were restricted by a number of factors (see also Scheerder et al., 2022). In the long run, the latter can be expected to also have impacted their sports behaviour. The current study will investigate whether this hypothesis is supported by the figures of the most recent wave.
