The international competition for success in the Olympic Games and World Championships often causes some countries to fall short of winning medals, highlighting the importance of competitiveness in elite sports. Accordingly, this study aimed to analyze sports policies that affect elite sports competitiveness in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The study had two phases. In the first phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 experts, including sports management professors, administrators, coaches, athletes, and media professionals, until theoretical saturation was reached, identifying policies related to elite sport competitiveness. In the second phase, 12 sports management professors completed a pairwise comparison questionnaire based on the identified policies. Data were analyzed using the Total Interpretive Structural Modelling method to establish the hierarchical influence structure of these policies. Five elite Iranian sports were studied: wrestling, weightlifting, taekwondo, kabaddi, and futsal. Eight policies were identified and positioned as follows: level 6-financing methods; level 5-participation rate; level 4-coaching development, professional athlete support, and training facility adequacy; level 3-talent identification; level 2-competition experience; and level 1-elite sport competitiveness. Additionally, MICMAC analysis placed financing methods and participation rate in the "driver" quadrant; coaching development, athlete support, and training facilities in the "linkage" quadrant; and talent identification, competition experience, and elite sport competitiveness in the "dependent" quadrant of the driving power-dependence matrix. The model shows that sufficient financing and broader participation enable coaching development, professional support, and adequate training facilities, which strengthen talent identification and competition experience, ultimately leading to elite-sport competitiveness in Iran.
Although esports have rapidly evolved into a major global entertainment industry in recent years, research on the behavioral consequences of spectators’ event experiences remains limited. In particular, there is a lack of empirical studies examining how the perceived experience of online esports spectators influences their post-event behaviors, such as satisfaction and future viewing intentions. This study, therefore, explores the influence of perceived event experience on satisfaction and consumption intention among online esports spectators through the lens of the Experience Economy Model. The research employed structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships using data from 270 participants who watched online esports events, limited to live-streamed tournaments. Findings indicate that perceived event experience positively affects satisfaction, and satisfaction significantly predicts consumption intention. However, no direct relationship was found between experience and consumption intention. Mediation analysis further revealed that satisfaction is a key mediating variable between event experience and consumption intention. These findings underscore the critical role of satisfaction in transforming experiential elements into behavioral outcomes. The study offers theoretical contributions to esports and experience economy literature and practical implications for stakeholders seeking to enhance viewer engagement and retention in digital esports environments.
Research on the effects of recreational experiences on individuals’ mindfulness, spirituality, awe, and psychological well-being has increased substantially in recent years. However, empirical studies examining the relationships among these constructs remain limited, particularly within the context of nature-based camping experiences. Accordingly, the primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of mindfulness, spirituality, and awe on the psychological well-being of individuals who engage in camping activities in natural settings. The secondary aim is to examine the mediating roles of spirituality and awe in the relationship between mindfulness and psychological well-being within the camping context. Data were collected from 301 individuals with prior camping experience using convenience and snowball sampling methods. Established and psychometrically validated scales measuring mindfulness, spirituality, awe, and psychological well-being were adapted for the camping-experience context. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the measurement model, and the results indicated satisfactory model fit, as well as adequate validity and reliability. Following the CFA, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed research model and hypothesized relationships. The results showed that five of the six direct hypotheses were supported. In addition, mediation analyses demonstrated that spirituality and awe mediated the relationships between mindfulness and psychological well-being, and between spirituality and psychological well-being. These findings extend the literature on mindfulness, spirituality, awe, and psychological well-being to the underexplored context of camping experiences and offer practical implications for enhancing individual well-being and for informing the design of nature-based recreational environments.
This study explores the experiences of educators who have implemented various instructional models in physical education and sport instruction, drawing on their practical experience. Model-based instruction allows teachers to revise pedagogical practices and create more effective learning environments. Understanding educators’ perspectives is crucial for evaluating the applicability of these models in real-life conditions. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological design. A total of 16 educators who had implemented instructional models in different schools and across various grade levels in Türkiye between 2016 and 2023 participated in the study, and data were collected through focus group interviews. A semi-structured interview form was used, and the data were analyzed through content analysis. Findings were categorized under six themes: The Educator’s Model Learning Process, Goals for Using the Model, Model Implementation, Achievements, Limitations, and Recommendations. The findings indicated that the model-based instruction enhanced teachers’ pedagogical adaptability, creativity, and reflective practice, while promoting students’ cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning outcomes. However, challenges such as time constraints, limited resources, inadequate physical conditions, the habitual reliance of teachers and students on traditional methods and insufficient model-specific training effective implementation process. At the same time, model-based instruction transforms teaching and learning processes in physical education, facilitating a transition from a performance-oriented structure to an inclusive, student-centered, and pedagogically enriched learning environment.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of post-activation potentiation produced by squat exercises performed with different phase durations on vertical jump performance. Fourteen males took part in this study. Back squat at 85% of 1RM with different eccentric and concentric phase durations was performed by the participants. Participants completed four conditions: 1) Long eccentric phase (E), 2) Long concentric phase (C), 3) Equal eccentric-concentric phase durations (EQ), and 4) Control (CONT) condition. Vertical jump tests were performed before and 30 seconds, 3, 6, and 9 minutes after the squat exercises. In the statistical analyses, a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was performed to examine the effects of squat conditions on jump height. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni adjustment were performed to examine the interaction effect. A significant difference was found in the vertical jump performance at the 30th second, 3rd, and 6th minutes between the C and the CONT conditions (p
This study examines how community involvement influences national branding in the post-pandemic era by comparing participant experiences from two international sporting events in Indonesia and Malaysia. The research aims to understand how interactions with local communities, cultural encounters, and service-related experiences shape participants’ perceptions of the host countries. A qualitative research design was used, involving 45 participants from eight countries who took part in the MesaStila 100K Ultra Marathon (Indonesia) and the Tour de Langkawi (Malaysia). Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires and follow-up clarification interviews, then analyzed using qualitative content analysis supported by NVivo software. The findings reveal five key themes: community support and interaction, cultural immersion and local identity, service and event experience, national branding through event atmosphere, and the sharing of values through post-event reflection. The results show that the event experience in Indonesia was characterized by strong community warmth and deep cultural engagement, while the experience in Malaysia was characterized by service efficiency and organizational professionalism. These differences shaped distinct impressions of national branding among participants. The study concludes that community involvement plays a crucial role in shaping national branding during international sporting events, especially in the post-pandemic context, where authentic cultural interaction and local participation enrich the overall event experience. These insights offer practical implications for event organizers and policymakers seeking to strengthen national identity and global reputation through sporting events.
Color plays an important role in human perception, and lighting conditions in indoor environments may influence perceptual and physiological responses. Recently, the potential effects of environmental factors such as room lighting on physical performance and training outcomes have received increasing attention. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of indoor environment color on cardiovascular fitness. Thirteen healthy young adults (6 females, 7 males; mean age: 24.38 ± 3.13 years) participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions and completed four separate measurement sessions. Each session was conducted under a different indoor environment color (fluorescent, red, green, and blue) while participants performed the standard Bruce Protocol on a treadmill. Heart rate recovery was recorded at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-minute post-exercise. Anthropometric measurements (height, body mass, and body fat percentage) were obtained prior to the first session. The results indicated that illumination color had no statistically significant effect on recovery heart rates (p > .05), with small effect sizes across conditions (η²p range = .019–.091). These findings suggest that the color of the indoor environment alone may not substantially influence cardiovascular responses during submaximal treadmill exercise. However, the observed tendencies may provide practical considerations for designers and exercise professionals when planning indoor sports and training environments.
Successful aging (SA) refers to maintaining psychological and functional capacities as individuals age, while satisfaction with life (SL) represents individuals’ cognitive evaluation of their overall well-being. This study examined the relationships between successful aging strategies—tackling problems (TP) and healthy lifestyle (HL)—and SL among women who regularly play tennis as a leisure activity. Using purposive sampling, 115 women from two pilot provinces in Türkiye participated in the study. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the three-factor measurement model. Structural equation modelling indicated that TP significantly and positively predicted SL, whereas HL showed a weaker association. The structural model explained 44% of the variance in SL. Additionally, moderation analyses tested whether weekly tennis participation duration influenced these relationships; however, participation time did not significantly moderate the associations between SA strategies and SL. The findings highlight the importance of tackling problem resources in supporting women's life satisfaction when engaging in leisure-based physical activity. By focusing on women's leisure tennis participation in middle adulthood, the study contributes to the literature on successful aging by linking leisure-based sport participation to psychosocial resources associated with life satisfaction.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a physical literacy (PL) course on university students’ perceptions of PL based on Whitehead’s (2010) framework. For the study design, a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design using a convergent parallel approach was used. A total of 52 undergraduate students participated in a seven-week PL course, both theoretical and practical sessions. Quantitative data were collected using the PLAYself instrument and analyzed through descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-tests. Qualitative data were gathered via a qualitative survey and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. As a result, the findings revealed significant improvements in students’ participation scores in outdoor and playground environments, as well as increased valuation of physical activity within the university context, as indicated by quantitative data. Although self-description scores improved among students, the change in self-description was not statistically significant. As a Thematic analysis’s results, one theme ‘Holistic Development of PL’ with five codes appeared; ‘social engagement and fun’, ‘heightened self-awareness’, ‘integration of knowledge and action’, ‘development of routine’, and ‘connection with the university space’. The integration of quantitative and qualitative findings suggested that the course fostered both behavioral and cognitive dimensions of PL. In conclusion, these findings emphasize the value of designing university-level PL programs that underscore experiential learning and holistic development, ultimately supporting students’ lifelong engagement in physical activity.
Ultrasonography (US) was used as an alternative to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the correlations between US-derived biceps brachii muscle thickness (BBMT) and MRI-derived muscle cross-sectional area (BBCSA) across regions have not been explored. This study aimed to investigate correlations between BBCSA and BBMT in the proximal, middle, and distal regions, and between muscle size and muscle strength. Twenty healthy active males were recruited. Three specific regions of biceps brachii were assessed for BBCSA via MRI and for BBMT via US. One-repetition maximum (1RM) of preacher curl and maximum isometric strength (MIS) of dominant elbow flexor were tested. The moderate to strong correlations between BBMT and BBCSA were observed in every corresponding region from proximal to distal regions (r = 0.45, r = 0.52, r = 0.77, respectively). The moderate correlations were also observed between 1RM and ∑BBMT (r = 0.59) and between 1RM and ∑BBCSA (r = 0.65). Similarly, ∑BBMT and ∑BBCSA also correlated with MIS (r = 0.45 and r = 0.59, respectively). Furthermore, a moderate correlation was found between MIS and 1RM (r = 0.67). In conclusion, BBMT was reliable for estimating BBCSA. Muscle size was an independent determinant of muscle strength. Besides, dynamic and isometric strength measures correlated.
Research on Paralympic athletes remains less comprehensive than research on Olympic athletes and has primarily focused on physical and physiological parameters. Further research is needed to better understand psychosocial factors among Paralympic athletes. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the motivations, coping skills, reasons, barriers, and facilitators of Turkish Paralympic athletes who participated in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games according to gender, disability type, and sport type. Seventy-eight Turkish Paralympic athletes participated in this study. Data were collected using the Motivation Scale for Sports Participation of People with Disabilities, the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28, and the Reasons, Barriers, and Facilitators of Sports Inventory. The study revealed that Paralympic athletes' motivation to participate in sports was generally similar across gender, type of disability, and sport, except that extrinsic motivation was higher among female athletes. Differences were found in the sub-dimensions of coping skills based on gender, type of disability, and sport. Additionally, the reasons, barriers, and facilitators for sports participation varied depending on these factors. Although motivation levels among Turkish Paralympic athletes were similar across gender, disability type, and sport, their athletic coping skills, reasons for participation, barriers, and facilitators varied and were influenced by these variables. The findings suggest that policymakers should consider these factors, implement appropriate strategies and policies, and develop regulations aimed at increasing the participation of Paralympic athletes in sports.
The study aimed to evaluate the acute effects of caffeine mouth-rinse interventions on shooting accuracy among bocce volo (BV) players. Twenty-four healthy, professional men bocce players, aged 20.67±4.43 years; height 176.46±6.58 cm; body weight 65.79±10.00 kg, volunteered to participate in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Interventions included Caffeine mouth rinse (CAF-MR), Placebo (PLA), Control (CONT). In the study, participants' shooting performance was assessed during the BV progressive game. The collected data were analyzed (with SPSS Windows software) by repeated measure ANOVA analysis and Bonferroni post hoc test at p ≤ 0.05 level. The analysis of Volo Shots Accuracy revealed a significant main effect of condition (F (2,46) = 49.19, p = 0.001, η2 = 0.68), with post hoc analyses indicating significant differences between CAF-MR and PLA (p = 0.001), CAF-MR and CONT (p < .0001), and PLA and CONT (p = .003). Similarly, the analysis of Volo Shots Accuracy Percentage showed a significant condition effect (F (2,46) = 34.28, p = .001, η2 = 0.60), with post hoc analyses revealing significant differences between CAF-MR and PLA (p < 0.001), CAF-MR and CONT (p < 0.001), and PLA and CONT (p = .01). CAF-MR intervention increased shooting accuracy, as indicated by the shooting accuracy points obtained during the BV progressive game.
Stroboscopic vision (SV) is a novel modality that modulates visual input and can impair postural control due to the resulting visual occlusion. SV tools have multiple levels of visual occlusion (i.e. difficulty) but our understanding of how both instrumented and clinical measures of postural control are impacted by different modes of visual occlusion remain extremely limited. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different modes of SV on instrumented and clinical measures of static and dynamic balance. Three-dimensional ground reaction forces were recorded during both the jump and dominant single-leg balance tasks using a portable Kistler force plate (9286BA; Kistler Instrument Corp, Novi, MI) at a sampling rate of 1200 Hz. Thirty-four healthy individuals performed a single limb static balance task under six visual conditions: eyes open (EO), Mode A, Mode B, Mode C, and Mode D, and eyes closed (EC). SV operated in four modes: both lenses strobing (Mode A), left lens strobing with the right lens opaque (Mode B), right lens strobing with the left lens opaque (Mode C), and alternating strobing between lenses to disrupt binocular vision (Mode D). Static balance was assessed using force plate–derived center of pressure (COP) metrics, including COP velocity and 95% confidence ellipse area, whereas dynamic balance was quantified using the dynamic postural stability index (DPSI) and its directional components. All modes of SV resulted in significantly worse objective static postural control and velocity relative to the EO condition (p < .001). No differences were noted among levels of SV (p > .05) for dynamic postural control. All modes of visual occlusion impair static postural control, but the magnitude of the impairment depends on the outcome measure used. However, these modes did not impair dynamic postural control. In conclusion, it can be stated that different stroboscopic modes have distinct effects on static and dynamic postural control.
VO₂max plays a vital role in supporting athletes' endurance during training and competition. However, research on VO₂max in Indonesian athletes continues to yield mixed results. Therefore, this study aims to examine the contribution of hemoglobin levels to VO₂max in Indonesian athletes using a meta-analysis. This study uses a meta-analysis approach following the PRISMA guidelines, with a literature search conducted using Harzing's Publish or Perish application on Google Scholar. The main keywords used were "hemoglobin level" AND "VO₂max", combined with Boolean operators. Data analysis included heterogeneity tests, effect size calculations, subgroup analyses, and publication bias tests, all conducted using JASP. The results of a meta-analysis of 17 studies showed a significant positive relationship between hemoglobin levels and VO₂max in athletes in Indonesia (effect size = .724; 95% CI: 0.499–0.949; p < .001), with a high level of heterogeneity (Q = 79.29; p < .05; I² = 82.4%). Subgroup analysis showed a significant effect in team sports (effect size = .772; p < .001), whereas no significant effect was observed in individual or mixed sports. The test for differences between groups of sport types also showed no significant difference (Qₘ(2) = .78; p = .677). In addition, Egger's test showed no indication of publication bias (p = .59). Overall, these findings confirm that hemoglobin levels contribute significantly to athletes' VO₂max. However, the magnitude of the effect may vary between sports, thereby confirming the physiological role of hemoglobin in supporting athletes' endurance capacity.
This empirical investigation explored the interplay between social and psychological constructs—namely Subjective Norm, Perceived Behavioral Control, Perceived Benefits, Perceived Barriers, Health Consciousness, and Personal Innovativeness—in shaping Purchase Intention (PUIN) toward sports nutrition products (SpNuPr). Drawing on data from 345 valid participants who are fitness center members in Ankara, the study confirmed that all six antecedents exert statistically significant effects on PUIN, thereby reinforcing the theoretical robustness of the proposed model. The findings illuminate the multifactorial nature of consumer decision-making in the context of health-oriented consumption, where both normative pressures and individual dispositions converge to influence behavioral outcomes. By integrating constructs from behavioral theories and consumer psychology, this research contributes to a more granular understanding of the motivational architecture underlying SpNuPr engagement. Future inquiries may extend this framework across diverse cultural and market settings to assess its cross-contextual validity and predictive generalizability.
Isometric and dynamic contraction protocols are commonly used in sports to achieve post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE). Although rest intervals in PAPE protocols have been widely investigated, the effects of different PAPE methods on performance across recovery intervals remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of post-activation potentiation induced by different contraction types on change-of-direction performance under varying rest durations. Twenty male soccer players (age: 20.9 ± 1.3 years; training experience: 7.6 ± 2.7 years; height: 176.9 ± 5.7 cm; body weight: 74.3 ± 7.5 kg) voluntarily participated in this study. The study used a randomized, crossover design, with 48-hour intervals over three non-consecutive days. On the first day, anthropometric characteristics and one-repetition maximum (1RM) knee extension performance were assessed. Following a standardized warm-up protocol, change-of-direction (CoD) test performance was recorded on the second and third days. After a 5-minute passive rest, participants performed either a dynamic (1 set of 3 repetitions at 90% 1RM) or an isometric (3 sets of 3 seconds, with 2-minute rest intervals) knee extension protocol. Subsequently, CoD tests were conducted at 15 seconds, 3, 6, 9, and 12 minutes post-activation. No significant main or interaction effects were observed for contraction type or recovery interval (p > .05). Furthermore, no significant differences in rest intervals were observed between the isometric and dynamic protocols (F = 1.383, p = .255, ηp2 = .061). In conclusion, these results indicate that neither the isometric nor the dynamic exercise protocols produced a pronounced PAPE effect on CoD performance.
Intense or unaccustomed exercise can induce muscle damage and systemic inflammation, as reflected by increases in interleukin-6 (IL-6) and creatine kinase (CK). Selenium, an essential trace element with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties, may attenuate these responses, yet evidence in recreationally active populations is limited. This study investigated whether 14 days of selenium supplementation (200 µg/day L-selenomethionine) could mitigate post-exercise IL-6 and CK elevations in recreationally active male university students. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 64 healthy males aged 18–21 years, who were randomly assigned to the selenium (SEL, n = 32) or placebo (PLA, n = 32) groups. After supplementation, participants performed a standardized eccentric plyometric protocol, and blood samples were collected pre-exercise and at 24 and 48 hours post-exercise for IL-6 and CK assessment. Both markers increased significantly after exercise in all participants (p < 0.001), but the rises were attenuated in the selenium group, which also showed faster recovery compared with placebo. Significant group × time interactions were observed for both IL-6 and CK (p < 0.001), indicating a differential response over time. These findings suggest that short-term selenium supplementation provides dual protective effects by reducing inflammation and preserving muscle integrity, highlighting its potential as a nutritional strategy to enhance recovery in recreationally active individuals. Further research with larger and more diverse populations is warranted.
Post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) is a method that suggests that short-term neuromuscular stimuli can produce temporary improvements in explosive performance, such as sprinting and jumping. In this context, the study aims to investigate the acute effects of various PAPE protocols on acceleration capacity, short-distance sprint performance, and lower-limb explosive power output in adolescent soccer players. The research was designed as a randomized crossover study involving 27 male U17 soccer players. Data collection tools included the “10-M Acceleration Test,” “20-M Sprint Test,” “Vertical Jump Test,” and “Horizontal Jump Test.” Participants performed a resisted PAPE protocol using elastic bands corresponding to approximately 10% of their body weight (5–6 kg) and an unresisted protocol using only their body weight. The data were found to be normally distributed using the Shapiro–Wilk test. To evaluate performance changes, a 2×2 mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA and Hedge’s g effect size were used (α=0.05). The resisted PAPE protocol produced significant improvements in acceleration (–2.48%), sprint performance (–1.36%), vertical jump (6.17%), and horizontal jump (6.68%). In contrast, the unresisted protocol yielded significant improvement only in horizontal jump performance (3.40%). The resisted PAPE protocol appears to be more effective than the unresisted protocol in enhancing explosive performance in adolescent soccer players. These results suggest that incorporating elastic band–based conditioning activities into warm-up routines may optimize short-term neuromuscular readiness. Furthermore, the findings highlight the practical value of variable-resistance stimuli in supporting performance on tasks that require rapid force production, indicating their potential utility in both training environments and pre-competition preparation.
This study conducts a critical feminist analysis of Bioderma’s acne advertisement featuring Turkish national volleyball player Saliha Şahin, situated within the context of femvertising. The research aims to unveil how a female athlete’s body and success are commodified through the advertisement’s narrative of ‘flawless skin, flawless performance’. Employing a Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis methodology, the study deciphers the constructed causal relationship between athletic performance and skin condition within the ad. The analysis reveals a core finding: a significant exaggeration positing that ‘flawless’ skin is a prerequisite for ‘flawless’ performance. This narrative markets ‘flawed skin’ as a form of vulnerability and a performance-diminishing factor, ultimately reducing the solution to the consumption of a cream. The discussion unfolds along three primary axes: Under the theme of postfeminist discourse and the construction of a deficit approach, the study examines how the emphasis on individual consumption obscures structural problems. Within the section on sport, gender, and the rhetoric of ‘improvement’, it investigates how volleyball is instrumentalized as a gendered domain. The segment on commodification and the reification of feminist values demonstrates how the demands of feminism are hollowed out through their assimilation into consumer culture. Furthermore, within the Turkish context, the analysis highlights how the ‘modern’ and ‘powerful’ image of female volleyball players is commodified in this process. In conclusion, this study argues that femvertising does not promise genuine social transformation. On the contrary, it reinforces capitalist patriarchy by entrapping female athletes in a new cycle of vulnerability through the myth of ‘flawlessness’.
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of integrating Animal Flow into traditional basketball training on physical performance in university athletes, focusing on agility, core endurance, proprioceptive awareness, repeated sprint ability, flexibility, and vertical jump. Thirty-eight university basketball players (10 females) were randomly assigned to a control group (19 participants, five females), which followed standard basketball training, or an experimental group (19 participants, five females), which received the same training supplemented with twice-weekly Animal Flow sessions over 12 weeks. Three participants (one control and two experimental) withdrew due to personal reasons, leaving a final sample of 35 participants (18 control and 17 experimental). Performance was assessed pre- and post-intervention using validated tests, with data analyzed via two-way mixed ANOVA and independent samples t-tests to examine changes and group differences. The intervention group exhibited greater improvements in agility, core endurance, proprioceptive awareness, repeated sprint ability, and flexibility compared to the control group, as indicated by significant group-by-time interactions. However, vertical jump performance showed comparable gains across both groups, suggesting a limited impact on explosive power. Animal Flow offers a promising supplementary approach to enhance key basketball performance attributes, particularly those related to dynamic movement and endurance. These findings support its integration into conditioning programs, encouraging further research to explore its long-term effects and applicability across diverse athletic populations.
