Research note: Ski touring on groomed slopes and the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential trigger for motivational changes.

Ski touring on groomed slopes is a relatively new outdoor sport that has steadily been gaining interest. So far, little scientific attention has been given to this outdoor activity. Thus, few questions have been asked about the motivation for practising this sport, and even fewer about whether the current COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the frequency of and motivation for ski touring. For this reason, we conducted a large-scale study (n = 6802) in the Austrian Alps. Results revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed the motive structure for ski touring; however, the findings showed that many people have even started to practice this sport. This research note contributes to the existing knowledge by (a) documenting ski tourers' motives using a large sample, (b) giving insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on this specific outdoor sport, and (c) showing COVID-19-related impacts on practicing ski touring. Management implications: •No changes in motivational reasons for ski touring due to COVID-19 pandemic.•Trend towards outdoor sports, especially ski tours on groomed slopes in the alpine region of central Europe. Amplification of the trend due to the pandemic and the associated restrictions.•As an outdoor sport, ski touring on groomed slopes offers versatile added value for ski tourers, but also huge potential for ropeway operators.•This soft slope tourism can also show alternatives to temporary ropeway closures in times of the COVID-19 pandemic and could also promote tourism (especially day tourism) in small circles at the regional level.•The increase in beginners naturally raises the question of whether this group needs special offers or how to deal with beginners on the slopes. On the other hand, this also raises the question of how to deal with the increase in ski slope users in general.

Physical Activity Behavior During and After COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders-A Longitudinal Study in the Austrian, German, and Italian Alps.

Background: In Alpine regions, which are very similar due to their topographical location and their wide-ranging sports offerings, the restrictions on sports activities during the COVID-19 pandemic differed in type and level: while in some regions (Tyrol, South Tyrol, Trentino), all sports activities were forbidden except for walking near the home, in other regions (Upper Bavaria, Vorarlberg), people were allowed to go hiking and running during the first lockdown. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the change in physical activity (PA) behavior in different Alpine regions (Upper Bavaria, Vorarlberg, Tyrol, South Tyrol, Trentino) over four periods in 2020, to examine the effects of COVID-19 measures of varying severity on PA behavior and to identify factors associated with a change in PA over time. Methods: A retrospective online survey was conducted (N = 2975) from December 2020, to January 2021. Using the questionnaire of the Eurobarometer 472 study, PA behavior was measured over four periods: before COVID-19 (March), during the first lockdown (March and April), during the relaxed period (May-October) and during the second lockdown (November and December) in 2020. Results: During the first (M = 5.0h, SD = 4.5) and the second lockdowns (M = 4.9h, SD = 4.3), the participants (age: 42 years, overly active in sports) engaged less in sports than before (M = 5.9h, SD = 4.8) and during the relaxed period in summer (M = 6.4h, SD = 5.0) (average number of hours per week being physically active). A larger percentage of participants from Alpine regions with severe restrictions (Tyrol, South Tyrol, Trentino) decreased their PA during the first lockdown as compared to participants from Upper Bavaria and Vorarlberg with a less strict first lockdown. Those with psychological distress, male participants, and individuals with decreased physical health and less free time during COVID-19 were more likely to reduce their PA. Conclusions: Despite a short-term negative effect of COVID-19 restrictions on exercise participation during lockdowns, the majority of respondents returned to their original levels of PA during the relaxed COVID-19 phases. As a comparison of Alpine regions shows, particularly severe COVID-19 measures seem to have reduced PA with potential negative health effects. For the future, policy makers and sports organizations should collaborate to support the population in their PA behavior during pandemics to outweigh restrictions.

Do low-priced ski pass owners perceive a higher quality of life? A case study of the Leisure Card Tirol.

OBJECTIVES: The study investigated a potential correlation between owning a superregional low-cost ski and leisure card, namely the Leisure Card Tirol (LCT), and perceived quality of life (QOL). DESIGN: A cross-sectional, quantitative approach (online questionnaire) was chosen. METHODS: In total, 1588 LCT users as well as 684 non-users (residents living in the Alpine region of Tyrol, Austria) were reached throughout the study period. RESULTS: Compared to non-users, LCT users reported significantly higher scores in all domains of QOL. However, the correlation was neither mediated nor moderated by the level of general physical activity (in contrast to alpine skiing in particular). CONCLUSIONS: As superregional low-cost leisure cards were suggested as a way of facilitating access to skiing-at least according to its buyers-owning the LCT was associated with higher perceived QOL. Subsequent research should elaborate the extent to which this correlation is causal. If there is a causal link, such cards should be actively promoted to improve/maintain residents' QOL.

Does Physical Activity during Alpine Vacations increase Tourists' Well-Being?

Physical activities have been proven to have an impact on general well-being in everyday life; however, literature lacks an analysis of the effects of physical activities in vacation settings. Thus, the study aimed at assessing the impacts of physical activity on well-being during vacation by taking a longitudinal approach. We utilized a pre-post within-subject design (n = 101) by testing vacationers prior to, during, and after their vacation in an alpine environment. Therefore, a series of eight linear mixed model analyses of co-variance was performed. The results suggested that the duration of a vacation and the amount of physical activity have a positive impact on the components of well-being, which was expressed by changes in the activation, elation, excitement, and calmness subscales of the Mood Survey Scale. Demographic patterns did not reveal any influences. Physical activity might be a marker for well-being, which influences people's everyday life and leisure time behavior by motivating them to engage in more physical activity. This research extends the existing literature by (1) proving the effects of vacations on well-being, (2) pointing out the effects of demographic predeterminations, and (3) gathering in-depth knowledge about the role of physical activity in changes to well-being.

Do the Youth Olympic Games promote Olympism? Analysing a mission (im)possible from a local youth perspective.

On the basis of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), we assess if and how the youth in the communities of the YOG host cities have been influenced concerning their perception of the Olympic values (OV) and the Olympic movement (OM). Special attention of the study is paid to the analysis of intervention mechanisms which the local youth underwent (e.g. attending the YOG on-site, participating in school programmes). Our study was conducted among 1004 adolescents living in the host region three years after the Innsbruck 2012 YOG had been staged. Our analyses extend the corresponding literature by (1) showing that the YOG and the involvement of the local youth in such an event have the power of creating an interest in the OM and its events, but do not have the power to influence the young citizens' perception of the OV significantly; (2) illustrating that the perception adolescents have of the OV depend mainly on their socio-demographic background, their a priori interest in sports events, social capital (norms, institutional trust) and the extent to which the youngsters follow the event in the different media; and (3) corroborating the hypothesis that intervention programmes (e.g. school programmes) for promoting (Olympic) values and ideals should not be single, obligatory and isolated activities. We conclude that it is not surprising that the International Olympic Committee has reformulated the goals for the YOG in the Olympic Agenda 2020, as some goals relating to the promotion of the OV might have been a mission impossible.

Predictors of doping intentions, susceptibility, and behaviour of elite athletes: a meta-analytic review.

Research in doping has focused on potential intervention strategies, increasingly targeting predicting factors. Yet, findings are inconsistent, mostly athlete-centred and explain only limited variances in behaviour. This critical review aims to (a) summarize studies that identified predictors of doping intentions, susceptibility, and behaviour in elite athletes and to (b) analyse in how far previous research included aspects beyond athlete-centred approaches, such as context and sporting culture. We reviewed 14 studies that focused on elite athletes. Situational temptation, attitudes, and subjective norms seem to be strong predicting variables of doping intentions (r ≥ 0.50), but intention was no predictor for behaviour. Attitudes were a significant predictor for both, doping susceptibility (r = 0.47) and behaviour (r = 0.30). Most of the predictors are athlete-centred and ignore macro-level factors that might help to explain how certain individual traits impact on the decision making process. The findings from this review call for a critical discussion of whether current doping-prevention research needs to take new directions. We propose future research to bridge findings of psychologists and sociologists, as it appears that doping behaviour cannot be explained by ignoring the one or the other. Impacts of sporting culture that have been identified in qualitative approaches need to be integrated in future quantitative approaches to test for its external validity. Inclusion of both, micro- and macro level factors may enable an integrative prevention program that creates a sporting culture without doping.

The Role of a Relative Age Effect in the 12th Winter European Youth Olympic Festival in 2015.

The aim of this study was to define the role of the relative age effect in the 12th Winter European Youth Olympic Festival 2015. The birth dates of all 899 participants and anthropometric data of 655 participants were analyzed. A significant relative age effect was present in the total sample and among the male athletes but not in the female athletes. Additionally, a significant relative age effect was present in strength- and endurance-related sports but not in technique-related sports. Statistically significantly more older athletes won medals. Relative age had a strong influence on participation in strength- and endurance-related sports as well as on performance.

Quality of life, coach behaviour and competitive anxiety in Winter Youth Olympic Games participants.

BACKGROUND: To ensure the highest technical performance, speed, safety, excellent control and to improve competitive performance, a successful regulation of competitive anxiety is necessary. Therefore, it seems crucial to identify factors influencing competitive anxiety of adolescent athletes. Research suggests that people reporting high quality of life are more capable to cope with stressful and challenging situations than others. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of quality of life, the involvement of parents in sports career and coach's leadership behaviour on competitive anxiety in Winter Youth Olympic Games participants. METHODS: During the first Winter Youth Olympic Games 2012 in Innsbruck/Austria, 662 (316 women) participants completed questionnaires and single items to assess quality of life, coach's leadership behaviour, parental involvement in sports career and competitive anxiety. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis revealed positive influences of high quality of life and useful coach instruction on competitive anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between quality of life, coach behaviour and competitive anxiety in young elite athletes competing at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games should be considered in long-term programmes for reducing competitive stress.