Successful Reboot of High-Performance Sporting Activities by Japanese National Women’s Handball Team in Tokyo, 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Initiative Using the Japan Sports–Cyber Physical System (JS–CPS) of the Sports Research Innovation Project (SRIP)

Issei Ogasawara, Shigeto Hamaguchi, Ryosuke Hasegawa, Yukihiro Akeda, Naoki Ota, Gajanan S. Revankar, Shoji Konda, Takashi Taguchi, Toshiya Takanouchi, Kojiro Imoto, Nobukazu Okimoto, Katsuhiko Sakuma, Akira Uchiyama, Keita Yamasaki, Teruo Higashino, Kazunori Tomono and Ken Nakata
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Issei Ogasawara: Department of Health and Sport Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Shigeto Hamaguchi: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Ryosuke Hasegawa: Department of Information Networking, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Yukihiro Akeda: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Naoki Ota: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Gajanan S. Revankar: Department of Health and Sport Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Shoji Konda: Department of Health and Sport Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Takashi Taguchi: Japan Handball Association, Tokyo 1600013, Japan
Toshiya Takanouchi: Japan Handball Association, Tokyo 1600013, Japan
Kojiro Imoto: Japan Handball Association, Tokyo 1600013, Japan
Nobukazu Okimoto: Japan Handball Association, Tokyo 1600013, Japan
Katsuhiko Sakuma: Japan Handball Association, Tokyo 1600013, Japan
Akira Uchiyama: Japan-Thailand Research Collaboration Centre on Emerging and Re-Emerging Infections, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Keita Yamasaki: Department of Health and Sport Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Teruo Higashino: Japan-Thailand Research Collaboration Centre on Emerging and Re-Emerging Infections, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Kazunori Tomono: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan
Ken Nakata: Department of Health and Sport Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 5650871, Japan

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

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted sporting activities across the world. However, practical training strategies for athletes to reduce the risk of infection during the pandemic have not been definitively studied. The purpose of this report was to provide an overview of the challenges we encountered during the reboot of high-performance sporting activities of the Japanese national handball team during the 3rd wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo, Japan. Twenty-nine Japanese national women’s handball players and 24 staff participated in the study. To initiate the reboot of their first training camp after COVID-19 stay-home social policy, we conducted: web-based health-monitoring, SARS-CoV-2 screening with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, real-time automated quantitative monitoring of social distancing on court using a moving image-based artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, physical intensity evaluation with wearable heart rate (HR) and acceleration sensors, and a self-reported online questionnaire. The training camp was conducted successfully with no COVID-19 infections. The web-based health monitoring and the frequent PCR testing with short turnaround times contributed remarkably to early detection of athletes’ health problems and to risk screening. During handball, AI-based on-court social-distance monitoring revealed key time-dependent spatial metrics to define player-to-player proximity. This information facilitated appropriate on- and off-game distancing behavior for teammates. Athletes regularly achieved around 80% of maximum HR during training, indicating anticipated improvements in achieving their physical intensities. Self-reported questionnaires related to the COVID management in the training camp revealed a sense of security among the athletes that allowed them to focus singularly on their training. The challenges discussed herein provided us considerable knowledge about creating and managing a safe environment for high-performing athletes in the COVID-19 pandemic via the Japan Sports–Cyber Physical System (JS–CPS) of the Sports Research Innovation Project (SRIP, Japan Sports Agency, Tokyo, Japan). This report is envisioned to provide informed decisions to coaches, trainers, policymakers from the sports federations in creating targeted, infection-free, sporting and training environments.

Keywords: handball; COVID-19; infection control; performance enhancement; stay active; proximity; heart rate; Tokyo 2020; physical activity; Japanese athletes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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