Search Results (54)

The intersection of sports and natural forests and green spaces represents an emerging interdisciplinary field with implications for public health, environmental science, and sustainable land management and refers to the variety of cultural ecosystem services demanded by people from ecosystems. This manuscript presents a systematic bibliometric and thematic analysis of 148 publications for the period 1993–2024 identified through Web of Science and Scopus, aiming to evaluate the current state of research on sports activities conducted in natural forest environments. Findings indicated a marked increase in scientific interest of this topic over the past two decades, with key contributions from countries such as England, Germany, China, and the United States. Researchers most frequently examined sports such as hiking, trail running, mountain biking, and orienteering for their capacity to provide physiological and psychological benefits, reduce stress, and enhance mental well-being. The literature analysis highlights ecological concerns, particularly those associated with habitat disturbance, biodiversity loss, and conflicts between recreation and conservation. Six principal research themes were identified: sports in urban forests, sports tourism, hunting and fishing, recreational sports, health benefits, and environmental impacts. Keyword and co-authorship analyses revealed a multidisciplinary knowledge base with evolving thematic focuses. In conclusion, the need for integrated approaches that incorporate ecological impact assessment, stakeholder perspectives, and adaptive forest governance to ensure sustainable recreational use of natural forest ecosystems is underlined. Full article

Context plays a critical role in talent development, yet most national analyses continue to rely on individual-centered talent concepts. This paper highlights the limitations of traditional models for assessing how countries support talent and proposes a resource-oriented, systemic alternative. Building on the Educational and Learning Capital Approach (ELCA), this study argues that national talent development depends on the availability, accessibility, and orchestration of both endogenous and exogenous learning resources across systemic levels. By analyzing the clumping patterns of excellence in STEM, the arts, sports, and innovation, this paper illustrates the unequal global distribution of talent-supportive environments. Seven key principles for effective resource orchestration are outlined, offering a framework for evaluating and strengthening national talent ecosystems. The paper concludes that systematic assessment and strategic enhancement of national resource landscapes are critical for sustainable talent development and for ensuring that human potential can flourish more equitably across countries. Full article

Attempts towards achieving gender equality are widely considered to be ‘wicked’ problems and continue to be a global priority in line with other United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In sport, longstanding gender inequities are reproduced and perpetuated through problematic heteropatriarchal, ableist, and colonial sporting structures and cultures. These negatively impact women and girls and gender expansive people, as well as their access to quality sporting experiences across different pathways. As key actors within sporting ecosystems, sport coaches have a critical role to play in terms of supporting the development of inclusive, ethical, and equitable sporting environments and, more broadly, in the mainstreaming of quality sporting experiences for all. Therefore, the development of a gender and diversity-sensitive, -responsive, and -transformative coaching workforce should be a critical concern. This position paper builds on previous empirical work which has identified gaps in coaching knowledge alongside a range of problematic understandings and assumptions which currently shape coaches’ ‘gender-responsive’ coaching practices. It does so by identifying challenges and ways forward for enhanced coach learning and development strategies targeting the development of a more gender and diversity-responsive coaching workforce. Full article

The construction of sports spaces such as ski resorts leads to deforestation, soil degradation and carbon (C) loss. However, the impact of ski pistes on soil C and nutrients remains unclear. The impact of an 18-year-old ski piste operation on the stock and stoichiometry of soil C, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), bulk density, and water content across a 0–100 cm profile in a forest area in Northeast China was quantitatively assessed using the equivalent soil mass method and fixed depth method. The fixed depth method overestimated soil C, N and P stocks of the SP by 5% to 8% of 0–100 cm stocks of soil C and nutrients relative to the equivalent soil mass method used as a reference. The equivalent soil mass method demonstrated that the ski piste soil C, N, and P stocks were significantly reduced by 27.4%, 21.3%, and 27.5%, respectively, in comparison to the undisturbed forest. Surface layers (0–10 cm) exhibited the highest C and N losses, while deep soil (>50 cm) showed significant C, N and P depletion. The ski piste significantly reduced surface C:N (15.8%) and C:P (38.0%) ratios, indicating decoupled nutrient constraints on C loss. Soil compaction increased bulk density in surface layers (0–10 cm) but reduced it in deeper strata, correlating with altered C physical interdependencies. The findings highlight the vertical stratification of disturbance effects, emphasizing the critical role of stoichiometric controls and methodological considerations in assessing anthropogenic impacts on soil ecosystems. These insights are vital for the sustainable management of ski resorts to mitigate soil degradation. Full article

The skin cannot be considered as just a barrier that protects against physical, chemical, and biological damage; it is a complex and dynamic ecosystem that varies across lifespans. Interest in the relationship between physical activity and skin microbiota has grown significantly in recent years. The skin microbiota has a crucial role in skin functions and physiology, and an imbalance, known as dysbiosis, is correlated with several diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), infectious disease, obesity, allergic disorders, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Among the causes of dysbiosis, the practice of physical exercise, especially in contact sports, including wrestling, artistic gymnastics, and boating, certainly represents a predisposing factor for infectious disease. This review aims to provide an overview of the skin microbiota and its regulation, focusing on interactions between physical exercise and skin microbiota, the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as regulators of skin microbiota, and the impact of probiotics supplementation on physical performance. Full article

The worldwide adoption of artificial turf in sports facilities and urban landscapes, alongside the systematic transition from natural grass and soil-based grounds, has raised growing concerns about its contribution to the significant source of nano- and microplastics in ecosystems. This review examines current knowledge on the mechanisms of nano- and microplastic generation from artificial turf systems and their environmental impacts. Combined mechanical stress, ultra-violet radiation, and weathering processes contribute to the breakdown of synthetic grass fibers and infill materials, generating particles ranging from nanometer to millimeter scales. These nano- and microplastics are detected in drainage systems and surrounding soils near sports facilities. Laboratory studies demonstrate that artificial turf-derived nano- and microplastics can adversely affect soil microbial communities, aquatic organisms, and potentially human health, through various exposure pathways. While current mitigation approaches include hybrid turf, particle retention systems, and improved maintenance protocols, emerging research focuses on developing novel, environmentally friendly materials as alternatives to conventional synthetic turf components. However, field data on emission rates and environmental fate remain limited, and standardized methods for particle characterization and quantification are lacking. This review identifies critical knowledge gaps, underscoring the need for comprehensive research on long-term ecological impacts and highlights the future goal of mitigating nano- and microplastic emissions from artificial turf systems into the ecosystem. Full article

As a core and long-established part of urban blue–green infrastructure (BGI), public parks play a significant role in the sustainable development of cities. In particular, they make a major contribution to maintaining healthy ecosystems and providing multiple benefits that support human health and quality of life as a kind of nature-based solution (NBS). Still, planning, design, and management of public parks mostly rely on official standards and technical guidelines, whereas societal perspectives and the use of the ecosystem services (ES) approach (and cultural ecosystem services (CES) in particular) remain inadequately integrated. By assessing CES offered by Gorky Park in Moscow (Russia), the paper aims to bridge this gap and investigate the flow of CES and its relation to park infrastructure and the visitors’ needs. For this purpose, non-participant observation, field notes, and photographs were used in different functional park zones. By investigating visitor activities and factors affecting them, a variety of CES provided by the park have been detected. As aligned with its original idea, the park was mostly used for recreation, leisure, sports, and socializing. Moreover, the CES related to aesthetic, educational, and cultural heritage values were also partially utilized. The park was mostly attractive to the younger generation (the highest number of visitors), whereas visitors over 60 years old were hardly represented. Notably, men were more interested in sports (especially, team sports), whereas women mostly preferred walking (alone, with family, and with friends), relaxation, playing and spending time with children, picnicking, etc., which indicated certain preferences for CES among the park visitors. An interdependent relationship between the CES supply and the park infrastructure was found: the more infrastructural components were identified, the greater variety of park activities and corresponding CES were detected at certain observation points, which could ultimately lead to overcrowding and overutilization of the ES capacity. Given that the Moscow government claims integrating ES into the planning and management of urban BGI as one of the priorities in the city’s environmental policies, the related recommendations are provided. They address the recent challenges of creating integrated BGI, increasing demand for multifunctionality, and the conflicting interests of different visitor groups to maximize the benefits and diversity of CES delivered by the park. Full article

The rapid rise of social media and widespread Internet access have contributed significantly to the global popularity of e-sports. However, while popular e-sports attract considerable attention, niche e-sports remain underexplored, limiting user discovery and engagement. This paper proposes a Twitter-based recommendation system that uses advanced data management and processing techniques to address the challenge of identifying and recommending both popular and niche e-sports. The system analyzes social media metadata, including user IDs, followers, followees, engagements, and impressions, to calculate two critical metrics: popularity and satisfaction. Based on the combination of these metrics, the system calculates overall scores for each e-sports and generates two distinct rankings: one for popular and another for niche e-sports. The proposed system reflects the application of data-driven methodologies and social network analysis in creating recommendations that meet diverse user preferences, highlighting the relevance of data processing technologies in personalized content delivery. Experimental evaluations, using a dataset derived from Twitter hashtags (#) representing 30 target e-sports in 2022, demonstrate the system’s effectiveness in capturing the emerging dynamics in e-sports and providing actionable insights for diverse user preferences. This study highlights the potential of SNS-based technologies to advance data processing, analysis, and application within the e-sports ecosystem. Full article

Urban and peri-urban forests serve as significant drivers, conferring benefits to humans through engagement with their ecosystems. These benefits encompass recreation, cognitive development, introspection, the acquisition of knowledge systems, social relations, and aesthetic values. The aim of this study is to examine the urban and peri-urban ecosystem services by offering new insights into visitors’ perspectives on the recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual values of forests in the city of Timișoara and its peri-urban area. The study focuses on two forests: Padurea Verde, the largest forest in Timișoara, and the Giroc Forest, one of the most frequently visited forest areas in the peri-urban zone of Timișoara. Thirty-six in-depth interviews were conducted with visitors to the two selected forests in September 2024. The findings indicate that visitors derive benefits from the ecosystem values of these forests, including recreational, aesthetic, and cultural values. However, there are also feelings of disappointment related to the lack of cleanliness and the presence of an excessive number of stray dogs in the forests. The findings also indicate a necessity for the implementation of organized activities, such as sports competitions and more children-oriented events, while discouraging the organization of festivals and the excessive use of noise in forests. Furthermore, they suggest that forests should be maintained in a relatively undisturbed state. These findings could prove beneficial as future perspectives for local practitioners, enabling the continued provision of complex ecosystem services and recreational values by urban and peri-urban forests. Full article

Objective: Motor competence development from early to middle childhood is accompanied by great variance. This course can be influenced by many factors in the ecosystem. The objective of this study was to examine which individual characteristics are associated with an undesirable motor competence development during the transition from early to middle childhood. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted between February 2020 and May 2022. Actual and perceived motor competence and the potential determinants physical activity enjoyment, weight status, and organized sports participation of children (49% boys) aged 4–6 years old at T0 (N = 721) were measured at two points in time, separated by a two-year interval. Associations between potential determinants and AMC, including interactions with time, were analyzed using linear mixed-effect regression models with continuous motor quotient scores as outcome variables. Results: Overweight, obesity, and lack of organized sports participation were associated with lower motor quotient scores over time. Multivariate analyses showed that associations of weight status (overweight and obesity) and sports participation with motor quotient scores remained significant after adjustment for variations in perceived motor competence and physical activity enjoyment. Conclusions: Excessive body weight and lack of sports participation from early childhood are associated with an increased risk of an undesirable motor competence development over time. Full article

Seaports are pivotal nodes in global trade, under increasing pressure to expedite green transitions while navigating the complexities of modern economic and environmental challenges. This research investigates the intricate relationship between the resilience of port organizational ecosystems and the successful implementation of green transitions. Employing a combination of focus group interviews and participatory observation, the study explores the primary obstacles, particularly the insufficiency of managerial capacity, which hampers the integration of technological innovations. Challenges identified include outdated infrastructure, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the imperative for sustained investment in new technologies, along with the need to promote a culture of sustainability. Experts highlight the crucial role of managerial competencies and continuous learning in overcoming these barriers. Furthermore, the research underscores the importance of fostering strong partnerships among stakeholders, including government bodies, industry associations, and environmental organizations. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, port managers, and other stakeholders seeking to navigate the challenges for ensuring a sustainable future for the maritime sport organizational ecosystems and maritime industry. Full article

Background/Objectives: The human gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem of microorganisms that can influence our health and exercise habits. On the other hand, physical exercise can also impact our microbiome, affecting our health. Our narrative review examines the bidirectional relationship between physical activity and the gut microbiome, as well as the potential for targeted probiotic regimens to enhance sports performance. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature review to select articles published up till January 2024 on the topics of physical exercise, sports, probiotics, and gut microbiota from major scientific databases, incorporating over 100 studies. Results: We found that the impact of physical activity on the gut microbiome varies with the type and intensity of exercise. Moderate exercise promotes a healthy immune system, while high-intensity exercise for a long duration can cause a leaky gut and consequent systemic inflammation, which may disrupt the microbial balance. Combining aerobic and resistance training significantly affects bacterial diversity, linked to a lower prevalence of chronic metabolic disorders. Furthermore, exercise enhances gut microbiome diversity, increases SCFA production, improves nutrient utilization, and modulates neural and hormonal pathways, improving gut barrier integrity. Our findings also showed probiotic supplementation is associated with decreased inflammation, enhanced sports performance, and fewer gastrointestinal disturbances, suggesting that the relationship between the gut microbiome and physical activity is mutually influential. Conclusions: The bidirectional relationship between physical activity and the gut microbiome is exemplified by how exercise can promote beneficial bacteria while a healthy gut microbiome can potentially enhance exercise ability through various mechanisms. These findings underscore the importance of adding potential tailored exercise regimens and probiotic supplementation that consider individual microbiome profiles into exercise programs. Full article

Urban ecosystems, and the services they provide, are a key focus of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically SDG 11, which emphasizes making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Green infrastructure (GI) is crucial in enhancing citizens’ quality of life and achieving this goal and it can be defined as a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas designed to deliver a range of ecosystem services (ESs). These infrastructures improve ecosystem functioning, protect biodiversity, promote health, support sustainable land and water management, and boost the local green economy. This paper explores the scientific literature on GI and their ESs in cities using bibliometric science. By combining the keywords “Green Infrastructures”, “Ecosystem Services”, and “Cities” with VOSviewer software (1.6.20 version), we analyzed trends over time. Results show growing attention to these topics, emphasizing human well-being, urban resilience, and sustainability. The study also highlights that focusing exclusively on either “Green Infrastructure in Cities” or “Ecosystem Services in Cities” leads to fragmented insights. A more integrated examination of these three domains offers a holistic view and underscores the importance of considering ecosystem disservices. The study further identifies key research directions, including the need for a comprehensive evaluation of diverse GI types, especially those that are under-researched, such as green roofs, sports areas, and wetlands, and the underexplored role of cultural ecosystem services. Additionally, future research should consider both the benefits and disservices of GI to support better urban planning decisions. Finally, integrating biophysical, social, and economic values of ESs is critical for providing more holistic insights and enhancing sustainable urban development. The novelty of this paper lies in its integrated, holistic approach to examining GI and ESs in urban areas, with a focus on ecosystem disservices, insufficient attention to specific GI types, and the role of cultural ecosystem services—each contributing to the creation of more resilient and sustainable cities. Full article

In modern urban development, utilizing the space under overpasses (SUO) contributes to connecting the cityscape and facilitating the transformation of SUO into a public urban space. However, existing studies sometimes fail to properly take into account user requirements, resulting in the neglect of the SUO by the population. The solutions proposed are based on the assumption that the SUO can be renewed, but there is no thorough evaluation methodology to determine if the current state of the SUO can be renewed and in which areas it needs renewal. In this research, all the overpasses within the Third Ring Road in Chengdu are taken as samples. Based on cultural ecosystem services (CES) and external spatial quality (ESQ), an evaluation system for the renewal potential of SUO was established and the overpass with the most potential for regeneration was selected: the Longtan Overpass. Further, the KANO model was used to explore the categories of residents’ requirements for indicators of CES in the space under Longtan Overpass, so as to propose targeted renewal strategies. This study found a positive correlation between the satisfaction of residents living near Longtan Overpass and the natural aesthetics and facade landscape of the SUO. It also suggests that enhancing cultural service indicators such as sports, human aesthetics, customs and humanities, and geographical history can improve the attractiveness of the SUO. This study also found that quantitatively assessing the value of SUO through ecosystem cultural services is feasible, which provides new ideas and methods for updating SUO. These findings help urban designers understand how people feel. Full article

Urban forests, crucial to urban ecosystems, are increasingly threatened by the challenges of urbanization, such as deteriorating thermal environments and declining air quality. Despite their recognized benefits to city dwellers’ quality of life, a systematic understanding of the impact of these environmental factors on public psychophysiological well-being in recreational sites is a notable gap in the literature. The objective of this research was to bridge this gap by examining the effects of the thermal environment and air quality in urban forests on the public’s perception, offering scientific evidence to inform environmental optimization and health management strategies for urban parks, essential for sustainable urban development and public health. Three urban parks in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, namely Fuzhou National Forest Park, Xihu Park, and Jinniushan Sports Park, were selected as research sites. Environmental monitoring and questionnaire surveys were conducted at 24 recreation places from October to December 2020, collecting temperature, humidity, and wind speed; the atmospheric composition includes PM2.5, PM10, negative oxygen ion, and psychophysiological data from the public. Multivariate statistical methods were employed to assess the environmental characteristics of different recreation places types and their impact on public health. The findings reveal that environmental factors explained 1.9% to 11.8% of the variation in physiological and psychological responses, mainly influenced by temperature, wind speed, and negative oxygen ions. Forests and waterfront recreation places significantly outperform canopy and open recreation places in promoting mental invigoration, stress relief, emotional tranquility, and attention restoration. Environmental monitoring results indicate that favorable meteorological conditions and good air quality are crucial for enhancing the service functions of recreation places. Notably, the positive correlation between a negative air ion concentration and psychological well-being provides a novel perspective on understanding the health benefits of urban forests. The thermal environment and air quality of urban recreation places exert a significant influence on the psychophysiological status of the public. Increasing green coverage, improving water body environments, and rationally planning recreation places layout are of great theoretical and practical significance for enhancing the environmental quality and service functions of urban forests. Full article