The Impact of COVID-19 on Para-Athletes: A Case Study on Motivation and Psychological Training for the 2020 Paralympic Games
Faculty Advisor Name
Joshua R. Pate
Department
School of Hospitality, Sport, and Recreation Management
Description
The Summer Paralympic Games, as well as Olympic Games, are held every four years in tribute to their Greek origins. In order to participate in the Paralympic Games, the preparation process for professional athletes is planned at least four years in advance, and the performance date for each Olympic and Paralympic discipline is predetermined. Furthermore, all athletic training leading up to the Games is designed based on the date of the competition. Changing the date of competition changes all aspects of the performance preparation process, including mental preparation.
The Paralympic Games have never been canceled for any public health reasons for 61 years in their history. However, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympics were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the state of emergency in Tokyo, the Summer Paralympic Games were held from August 24 to September 5 in 2021. The initial dates were scheduled to start the Games on August 4, 2020. Rescheduling the mega-event caused enormous negative economic, social, and security impacts on the global community but its psychological influence on elite athletes is hardly recognized and underestimated.
Following international and national health recommendations of the World Health Organization, athletic facilities were closed during the initial spread of the pandemic, including high-performance venues for elite athletes and sports medicine centers, public and private gyms, as well as outdoor and indoor sports facilities. Athletes, coaches, physicians, physiotherapists, psychologists, and many other staff members were directed to stay at home.
The impact of the in-home isolation may bring different psychological symptoms, including depression and anxiety, as well as losing motivation. Anxiety and motivation are considered to be the two psychological variables that are associated with the risk of injury and lower performance at the competitions. However, necessary quarantine restrictions and precautions may impact each athlete differently. It is important to better understand how quarantine, isolation, and schedule impacts elite athletes and their motivation to continue. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the motivation of elite para-athletes who were preparing to participate in the Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
A qualitative research design will be used in this study. Participants will be professional athletes with physical disabilities who were preparing for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020 (n=12). National Federations and Paralympic committees will be contacted in order to request a list of elite para-athletes that participated in Paralympics 2022. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted to discuss athletes’ experiences during the preparation process during the global pandemic. After official approval of the study is received from James Madison University Internal Review Board (IRB), informed consent will be obtained from participants.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Para-Athletes: A Case Study on Motivation and Psychological Training for the 2020 Paralympic Games
The Summer Paralympic Games, as well as Olympic Games, are held every four years in tribute to their Greek origins. In order to participate in the Paralympic Games, the preparation process for professional athletes is planned at least four years in advance, and the performance date for each Olympic and Paralympic discipline is predetermined. Furthermore, all athletic training leading up to the Games is designed based on the date of the competition. Changing the date of competition changes all aspects of the performance preparation process, including mental preparation.
The Paralympic Games have never been canceled for any public health reasons for 61 years in their history. However, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympics were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the state of emergency in Tokyo, the Summer Paralympic Games were held from August 24 to September 5 in 2021. The initial dates were scheduled to start the Games on August 4, 2020. Rescheduling the mega-event caused enormous negative economic, social, and security impacts on the global community but its psychological influence on elite athletes is hardly recognized and underestimated.
Following international and national health recommendations of the World Health Organization, athletic facilities were closed during the initial spread of the pandemic, including high-performance venues for elite athletes and sports medicine centers, public and private gyms, as well as outdoor and indoor sports facilities. Athletes, coaches, physicians, physiotherapists, psychologists, and many other staff members were directed to stay at home.
The impact of the in-home isolation may bring different psychological symptoms, including depression and anxiety, as well as losing motivation. Anxiety and motivation are considered to be the two psychological variables that are associated with the risk of injury and lower performance at the competitions. However, necessary quarantine restrictions and precautions may impact each athlete differently. It is important to better understand how quarantine, isolation, and schedule impacts elite athletes and their motivation to continue. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the motivation of elite para-athletes who were preparing to participate in the Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
A qualitative research design will be used in this study. Participants will be professional athletes with physical disabilities who were preparing for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020 (n=12). National Federations and Paralympic committees will be contacted in order to request a list of elite para-athletes that participated in Paralympics 2022. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted to discuss athletes’ experiences during the preparation process during the global pandemic. After official approval of the study is received from James Madison University Internal Review Board (IRB), informed consent will be obtained from participants.
