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Sports
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Fostering Sport for a Healthy Life
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Fostering Sport for a Healthy Life

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1537

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giancarlo Condello

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Guest Editor
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
Interests: exercise science; strength and conditioning planning; resistance training; exercise testing; physical fitness; exercise physiology; physical activity assessment; performance testing; personal training
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Valentina Presta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
Interests: exercise; adapted physical activity; disability; posture
Dr. Santos Villafaina

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Physical Activity and Quality of Life Research Group (AFYCAV), Faculty of Sport Sciences, The University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: heart rate variability; EEG; exercise; chronic pain; psychophysiology; exergames
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Participation in sport is the central construct for the achievement of any individual’s health. In fact, sport enters any life stage, ranging from youth development, for the support of physical and cognitive growth, to healthy aging, for the reduction in the decline in body functioning. Sport has a vast spectrum of competitive level and purposes, but it represents a source of opportunities for any individual to reach new achievements in life. Therefore, it is essential to investigate all the possible factors that influence the performance of a variety of sport disciplines. Similarly, it is still necessary to explain several mechanisms that explain human responses to sport performance. Moreover, the new challenges that society is currently facing at global level and the new opportunities offered by numerous technologies and artificial intelligence enlarge the field of research and the creation of implications for athletes and general population. Several research questions still remain unanswered and new concepts must be defined.

Therefore, articles in the form of reviews with meta-analysis and original research centered on prospective longitudinal studies and randomized controlled trials are invited for this Special Issue, especially those combining a high academic standard coupled with practical implications for practitioners and policy-makers.

Dr. Giancarlo Condello
Dr. Valentina Presta
Dr. Santos Villafaina
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • youth athletes
  • elite athletes
  • master athletes
  • physical and cognitive functioning
  • training intervention programs
  • big data analysis
  • sport technology
  • sport physiology
  • molecular signaling

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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13 pages, 650 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Perceptual-Cognitive Skills in College Elite Athletes: An Analysis of Differences Across Competitive Levels
by Kuo-Cheng Wu, Hui-Chun Lin, Zi-Yi Cheng, Chih-Han Chang, Jo-Ning Chang, Hsia-Ling Tai and Su-I Liu
Sports 2025, 13(5), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13050141 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 146
Abstract
Background: Athletes with expertise in sports show extensive procedural and factual information, enhancing their ability to focus attention, use cues, and anticipate events. This study examined the differentiation of perceptual-cognitive skills by focusing on attentional cues, processing speed, and working memory. Methods: The [...] Read more.
Background: Athletes with expertise in sports show extensive procedural and factual information, enhancing their ability to focus attention, use cues, and anticipate events. This study examined the differentiation of perceptual-cognitive skills by focusing on attentional cues, processing speed, and working memory. Methods: The component skill approach was used to assess differences in sports expertise levels using non-sport-specific cognitive measures of perceptual-cognitive skills. The study involved a total of 127 college athletes with a mean age of 20.23 years (SD = 3.08) and an average of 10.99 years of training. Among these participants, there were 43 female athletes with a mean age of 20.23 years (SD = 3.32) and 84 male athletes with a mean age of 20.22 years (SD = 2.98). We analyzed the cohort of students who did not engage in regular sports training, identifying them as the control group for our study. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was employed to analyze the measures of the SPT and CBT perceptual-cognitive tasks, treating them as separate dependent variables. The categorization of elite levels and participants is outlined below: there are 41 semi-elite athletes, 70 competitive elite athletes, 12 successful elite athletes, and 4 world-class elite athletes. Results: There were no differences in semi-elite and competitive elite athletes’ perceptual-cognitive skills regarding visual-spatial reaction time (Wilks’ λ = 0.956, p > 0.05), but there was a significant difference in the working memory span (Wilks’ λ = 0.804, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The study reports that elite college athletes have higher working memory, which is crucial for sport performance, compared to semi-elite athletes. However, no between-group differences were observed in reaction time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fostering Sport for a Healthy Life)
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12 pages, 660 KiB  
Article
Associations Between Screen Time, Physical Activity, and Sleep Patterns in Children Aged 3–7 Years—A Multicentric Cohort Study in Urban Environment
by Paula Torres, Ana Pablos, Laura Elvira, Diego Ceca, Michael Chia and Florentino Huertas
Sports 2025, 13(4), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13040091 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 773
Abstract
In most developed countries, children’s use of digital media has increased significantly. Concerns about how screen time (ST) affects physical activity (PA), sleep patterns (SL), and overall health habits have prompted further exploration of these associations. This study examined ST, PA, and SL [...] Read more.
In most developed countries, children’s use of digital media has increased significantly. Concerns about how screen time (ST) affects physical activity (PA), sleep patterns (SL), and overall health habits have prompted further exploration of these associations. This study examined ST, PA, and SL patterns in children aged 3–7 years living in an urban environment. A multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted using the Surveillance of Digital Media Habits in Early Childhood Questionnaire (SMALLQ®). Parents of 243 children completed the questionnaire, providing data on their children’s ST, SL, and PA habits during weekdays and weekends. A series of ANOVA tests were performed to assess differences in weekday and weekend ST, PA, and SL across age groups and sexes, as well as to compare these results with UN recommendations. The findings revealed a non-significant trend in ST and a significant effect of age group on PA during both weekdays and weekends, as well as on weekend SL. No significant differences based on sex were observed. Additionally, the comparison indicated that 3–5-year-old preschool children exceeded the recommended ST during weekends, while 6–7-year-old first-grade elementary children failed to meet the PA recommendations. These results highlight the critical role of age-related changes in shaping PA and SL behaviors in young children, emphasizing the importance of targeted interventions to foster healthy habits in early childhood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fostering Sport for a Healthy Life)
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11 pages, 927 KiB  
Case Report
Physiological Changes Across a Sport Season in a Nine-Time World-Champion Triathlete: A Case Report
by Adrian Gonzalez-Custodio, Carmen Crespo, Rafael Timon and Guillermo Olcina
Sports 2025, 13(5), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13050140 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 82
Abstract
This case report analyses the physiological changes of a nine-time world champion triathlete over a competitive season. The triathlete, aged 34, resumed training after a 3-month injury-related break. The study monitored key physiological variables at three points: pre-season (PRE), base period (BASE), and [...] Read more.
This case report analyses the physiological changes of a nine-time world champion triathlete over a competitive season. The triathlete, aged 34, resumed training after a 3-month injury-related break. The study monitored key physiological variables at three points: pre-season (PRE), base period (BASE), and peak performance (PEAK). The athlete trained an average of 25,000 m swimming, 400 km cycling, and 90 km running weekly. Incremental cycling tests were performed at each stage, measuring power output, oxygen uptake (VO2), ventilatory thresholds (VT1, VT2), muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2), heart rate, and lactate levels. Results showed significant improvements in relative power output (+37.2% at VT1), VO2 max (+12.6%), and body composition (body fat reduced from 10.43% to 7.33%). Heart rate and lactate concentration remained stable, while SmO2 showed a greater difference between VT2 and peak performance. The triathlete achieved top-10 finishes in all key events, including a win at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. The findings suggest that elite triathletes can regain peak performance after injury through structured training, with improvements in ventilatory efficiency and body composition contributing to better competition results. This study provides valuable insights for coaches on the recovery and performance optimization of elite triathletes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fostering Sport for a Healthy Life)
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