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There is some debate as to whether professional eSports players should be regarded as athletes in the traditional sense. With an eye toward addressing this controversy, this study was undertaken with the aim of analyzing elite eSports players' characteristics and their training and competition routines, and of comparing them with data on their counterparts in traditional sports. Fifty-one elite eSports players answered an ad hoc online questionnaire that gathered data on their basic traits, general training and competition habits, level of regular physical activity, and injuries sustained during the 2018-2019 season. The results indicated that elite eSports players have a considerable training load (38.37±20.33 h/week) and use strategies to improve their performance (i.e., warm-ups, 73.91%; resistance training, 74.19%; psychological training 31.25%). However, some of these activities are not generally designed or supervised by qualified professionals. Meanwhile, some of the players reported injuries (13.04%) that had led to losses in competition time ranging from one day to more than a month. In terms of the comparison with traditional athletes, our findings show that eliteeSports players seem to experience a similar training load and apply comparable strategies to boost their sports results. As such, they can be properly considered professional athletes, but players, the eSports industry, and the teams' staffs should be more aware of the most appropriate strategies to preserve long-term health and avoid burn-out.

Sports performance is a complex process that involves many factors, including ethnic and racial differences. China’s youth soccer is in a process of constant development, although information about the characteristics of its players and their methodological systems is scarce. The aim of this retrospective study was to characterize the physical fitness and the competitive performance of 722 Chinese players of three sports categories (8.0–9.9, 10.0–11.9 and 12.0–13.9 years), who were classified by their coaches as talented (n = 204) or untalented (n = 518). Players were assessed for anthropometry (body height, body mass, body mass index), lung capacity (Forced Vital Capacity), jumping performance (Squat Jump, Countermovement Jump and Abalakov tests), sprinting performance (10 m and 30 m Sprint tests), agility performance (Repeated Side-Step test) and flexibility (Sit & Reach test). A descriptive, comparative, correlational and multivariate analysis was performed. Competitive ranking was created in order to act as dependent variable in multiple linear regression analysis. Results indicate that Chinese players classified as talented have better motor performance than untalented ones. However, these differences are neither related nor determine the competitive performance of one group or the other.

This study aimed to assess the effect of the scoring moment on the conditional probability of winning or losing a professional soccer match, as well as identified the most influential variables contributing to victory in Major League Soccer (MLS), the men’s professional league in the United States. Data from 680 matches played in the 2015 and 2016 regular seasons were analysed, by dividing the matches into fifteen-minute periods. Additionally, the influence of playing home or away on the match outcome and the type of technical-tactical actions that lead to a goal was also analysed. The temporal analysis revealed that scoring first increased the probability of winning the match significantly and showed dependency on the time in which the goal was scored. The two principal components of the principal component analysis (PCA) were counterattacks (PC1) and crosses (PC2). These were the most critical variables during open play to determine how MLS teams scored goals. Nevertheless, scoring first, playing as a home team always gave a better chance to win the game than scoring first and playing away (0.72 vs. 0.32 probability). As the match approached the end, winning or losing was even more determinant and less reversible (0.85 vs. 0.72 for the home and away team respectively when they were ahead on the score in the minute 75 or later). These findings can contribute to a better understanding of the performance indicators in professional soccer, helping coaches to determine the right strategies and improving the tactical patterns to succeed in competition. Resumen Este estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar el efecto del momento de anotar un gol en la probabilidad condicional de ganar o perder un partido de fútbol profesional, así como identificar las variables más influyentes que contribuyen a la victoria en la Major League Soccer (MLS), la liga masculina profesional de los Estados Unidos. Se analizaron los datos de los 680 partidos jugados durante las temporadas regulares de 2015 y 2016, dividiendo los partidos en períodos de quince minutos. Además, también se analizó la influencia de jugar en casa o fuera en el resultado final del partido y el tipo de acciones técnico-tácticas que conducen a lograr marcar un gol. El análisis temporal reveló que conseguir marcar un gol antes que el rival aumentaba significativamente la probabilidad de ganar el partido y mostró dependencia del período de tiempo en el que se anotó éste. Los dos componentes principales del análisis de componentes principales (PCA) fueron los contraataques (PC1) y los centros (PC2). Estas fueron las variables más determinantes durante el juego abierto para determinar cómo anotan los goles los equipos de la MLS. Sin embargo, anotar primero, jugando como local siempre obtuvo mayores posibilidades de ganar el partido que anotar primero jugando como visitante (probabilidad 0.72 vs 0.32). A medida que el partido se acercaba al final, ganar o perder era aún más determinante y menos reversible (0,85 frente a 0,72 para el equipo local y visitante respectivamente, cuando se tenía ventaja en el marcador en el minuto 75 o posterior). Estos hallazgos pueden contribuir a una mejor comprensión de los indicadores de rendimiento en el fútbol profesional, ayudando a los entrenadores a determinar las estrategias correctas y mejorando los patrones tácticos para tener éxito en la competición.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many sectors of our global society since its detection in Wuhan in December 2019, and team sports have been no stranger to this reality. This special article presents a review of the literature exposing the dangers for athletes of this virus, reporting the effects of the pandemic on competitive sport, and making evidence-based recommendations to avoid the consequences of detraining in confined athletes. Furthermore, we present the results of a survey with 361 answers computed from coaches and different staff members from 26 different countries, representing the activity of more than 4500 athletes from all over the world. The aim was to know more teams’ activity during this cessation period. Finally, the article outlines recommendations based on the answers to help teams if a second outbreak of the virus forces massive confinements again, guiding a safe return to sport at any competitive level.

L’estudi epidemiològic de lesions esportives és fonamental per poder avaluar les causes i conseqüències d’aquestes sobre l’esportista. S’escull el model de codificació The Orchard Sports Injury Classification System (OSICS) per determinar la seva utilitat a l’hora de gestionar i avaluar l’epidemiologia lesional esportiva, utilitzant com a referència pràctica les atencions mèdiques dels esportistes de la selecció nacional de taekwondo residents al Centre d’Alt Rendiment de Sant Cugat del Vallès durant dos cicles olímpics.

Objective Taekwondo injuries differ according to the characteristics of the athletes and the competition. This analytical cross-sectional retrospective cohort study aimed to describe reported taekwondo injuries and to determine the prevalence, characteristics and possible risk factors for injuries sustained by athletes of the Spanish national team. In addition, we compared each identified risk factor—age, weight category, annual quarter, injury timing and competition difficulty level—with its relation to injury location and type. Settings Injury occurrences in taekwondo athletes of the Spanish national team during two Olympic periods at the High Performance Centre in Barcelona were analysed. Participants 48 taekwondo athletes (22 male, 26 female; age range 15–31 years) were studied; 1678 injury episodes occurred. Inclusion criteria were: (1) having trained with the national taekwondo group for a minimum of one sports season; (2) being a member of the Spanish national team. Results Independently of sex or Olympic period, the anatomical sites with most injury episodes were knee (21.3%), foot (17.0%), ankle (12.2%), thigh (11.4%) and lower leg (8.8%). Contusions (29.3%) and cartilage (17.6%) and joint (15.7%) injuries were the prevalent types of injury. Chronological age, weight category and annual quarter can be considered risk factors for sustaining injuries in male and female elite taekwondists according to their location and type (p≤0.001). Conclusions This study provides epidemiological information that will help to inform future injury surveillance studies and the development of prevention strategies and recommendations to reduce the number of injuries in taekwondo competition.