Return to Basketball Play Following COVID-19 Lockdown

• Published in: Sports (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 6; p. 81
• Main Authors: Bourdas, Dimitrios I., Zacharakis, Emmanouil D., Travlos, Antonios K., Souglis, Athanasios
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 03.06.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: aerobic; anaerobic; Antigens; Asymptomatic; Basketball; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Decision making; Disease transmission; Exercise; fatigue; fitness training; Infections; Masks; Physical fitness; Physical training; recovery; Shelter in place; Sports facilities
• ISSN: 2075-4663; 2075-4663
• DOI: 10.3390/sports9060081

Due to concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), major sporting events and activities have been temporarily suspended or postponed, and a new radical sports protocol has emerged. For most sports there are few recommendations based on scientific evidence for returning to team-game activities following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the extended duration of lockdown, and self-training or detraining in the COVID-19 environment, and this is especially true for basketball. A post-lockdown return to the basketball court ultimately depends on the teams—coaches, trainers, players, and medical staff. Nevertheless, our current scientific knowledge is evidently insufficient as far as safety and return-to-play timing are concerned. This situation presents a major challenge to basketball competition in terms of organization, prioritization, maintaining physical fitness, and decision-making. While preparing an adequate basketball return program, the players’ health is the major priority. In this article we briefly discuss the topic and propose multiple strategies.