Weightlifting during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Transnational Study Regarding Motivation, Barriers, and Coping of Master Athletes

Marianne Huebner, Wenjuan Ma and Thomas Rieger
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Marianne Huebner: Department of Statistics and Probability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Wenjuan Ma: Center for Statistical Training and Consulting, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Thomas Rieger: Faculty of Business and Sport, University of Europe for Applied Sciences, 58636 Iserlohn, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-16

Abstract: Sport has been heavily impacted by the pandemic for over a year with restrictions and closures of facilities. The main aims of this study are to identify motivation and barriers for an international group of Master weightlifters (ages 35 and up) and analyze age and gender differences in pandemic-related changes to physical activities. A sample of 1051 older athletes, 523 women and 528 men, aged from 35 to 88 years, from Australia, Canada, Europe, and the USA provided responses to an online survey conducted in June 2021. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine age, gender, and regional differences about motivation, barriers, and pandemic impact on sport and physical activities. Participants showed enthusiasm for the opportunity to compete despite health challenges with increasing age but faced barriers due to access to training facilities and qualified coaches even before the pandemic. The oldest athletes had the greatest reduction in physical activities during the pandemic. Weightlifters had the opportunity to compete in virtual competitions and 44% would like to see some of these continued in the future, especially women. These findings highlight the benefits of competitive sports and may provide future directions in strength sports for organizations, sports clubs, and coaches.

Keywords: weightlifting; older athletes; gender differences; pandemic; COVID-19; motivation; barriers; sport (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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