Bibliometric Analysis of the Impact of COVID-19 on Athlete Performance: Publication Trends and Implications for Future Research

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected various sectors, including the realm of sports. The importance of researching the impact of COVID-19 on athlete performance lies in the urgency to prevent similar repercussions in the future. Therefore, this study aims to explore publication trends related to the influence of COVID-19 on athlete performance from 2020 to 2023, using bibliometric analysis methods. In this analysis, VOSviewer software and the bibliometric analysis application biblioshiny were utilized to analyze bibliographic data. From the Scopus database, a total of 977 documents were analyzed after undergoing the screening process. The results indicate fluctuations in publication trends, with the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health being the highest contributor with 87 documents. The United States ranks first in the number of documents, with a primary focus on athlete performance, totaling 907. Semmelweis University emerged as the most productive affiliation with 25 documents. Research findings highlight contributions from 19 Indonesian researchers, with the highest number of authors originating from the United States with 14 documents. The most globally cited document, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, has reached 387 citations. Visualization of research trends reveals popular topics aligning with the research, including "human," "Covid-19," "male," "female," "athlete," "adult," and "pandemic." The implications of these findings provide significant benefits to researchers by offering guidance for future analysis and serving as considerations in determining research themes. Furthermore, this supports global efforts to enhance understanding of the pandemic's impact on athlete performance and design more effective strategies to protect their health and well-being in the future.