The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on functional capacity in a population of young athletes: should we expect long-time consequences?

Background: From 2020, most countries all over the world have implemented strategies aimed at limiting contagion of COVID-19. The pandemic caused a reduction in physical activity (PA) and sports at all levels. The aim of the present study was to analyze and quantify the related impact of imposed PA restrictions on functional capacity in young athletes. Methods: This observational cohort study evaluated annually the exercise capacity of a sample of young athletes (N.=344) referred for the pre-participation screening at our Sports and Exercise Medicine Division (2017-2021). Standardized maximal exercise testing was performed on treadmill and linear mixed models analyzed metabolic equivalent of tasks (METs) and exercise time as dependent variables. Results: METs and exercise time showed a reduction in the year 2020 and a subsequent increase in 2021, with males revealing a faster recovery in exercise capacity. Athletes who maintained >250 annual training hours were less affected by the pandemic. Conclusions: These data suggest a significant impact of forced physical inactivity on a cohort of apparently healthy young athletes. The COVID-19-related experience should lead to strategies to avoid negative effects and long-term consequences of containment measures.