Identifying the Positive and Negative Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic on Iranian Student Sports: A Qualitative Study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to profound changes at various levels of society, and sports is not immune to this. It is very important to study and identify the consequences of COVID-19 in different parts of the sports in Iran. The aim of the present study was to identify the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on Iranian student sports with emphasis on beneficiaries.

This qualitative study was an exploratory research and in terms of purpose was considered as applied research. The statistical population of the study included sports teachers, professors of Farhangian University, managers of the General Office of Physical Education and sports experts of the Ministry of Education which were selected through purposive sampling method. In-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants to collect information and theoretical saturation was obtained with 17 interviews. To analyze the data, the thematic analysis method was used.

The consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on physical education and sports education consist of four main concepts which include “creating a passive lifestyle, behavioral and social harms, technological-digital development, and family sports”.

Considering the results and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to develop appropriate programs to use the opportunities and manage the challenges of the post-COVID-19 era in the field of physical education and sports education for students in Iran.