ArticlePloS one2022
Training load, sports performance, physical and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective cohort of Swiss elite athletes.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among elite female beach volleyball players in the FIVB top 200.Discover mental health · 2026Article
- COVID-19 Alters Respiratory Function Associations in High-Level Athletes.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- From Amateur to Professional Cycling: A Case Study on the Training Characteristics of a Zwift Academy Winner.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- COVID-19 affected elite track-and-field athletes' Olympic preparation before Tokyo 2020 compared to Rio 2016.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Unraveling the Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Youth Sports and Physical Activity: Insights From a Retrospective Cohort Study in Italy.International journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- The effect of doping, anti-doping measures, and sociological factors on the annual distribution of all-time top performances in short, middle, and long-distance running.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions have led to abrupt changes in the lives of elite athletes.
objectivesThe objective of this prospective cohort study was to examine training load, subjective sports performance, physical and mental health among Swiss elite athletes during a 6-month follow-up period starting with the first Swiss lockdown.
methodsSwiss elite athletes (n = 203) participated in a repeated online survey evaluating health, training, and performance related metrics. After the first assessment during the first lockdown between April and May 2020, there were monthly follow-ups over 6 months.
resultsOut of 203 athletes completing the first survey during the first lockdown, 73 athletes (36%) completed all assessments during the entire 6-month follow-up period. Sports performance and training load decreased during the first lockdown and increased again at the beginning of the second lockdown in October 2020, while symptoms of depression and financial fears showed only a transient increase during the first lockdown. Self-reported injuries and illnesses did not change significantly at any timepoint in the study. Stricter COVID-19 restrictions, as measured by the Government Stringency Index (GSI), were associated with reduced subjective sports performance, as well as lower training intensity, increased financial fears, poorer coping with restrictions, and more depressive symptoms, as measured by the 9-item module of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).
conclusionThis study revealed a negative impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on sports performance, training load and mental health among Swiss elite athletes, while the rate of self-reported injuries and illnesses remained unaffected.
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