South Africa Leads Global Research on COVID's Effect on Athletes

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics say they will have measures in place next year to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The Olympics were set to take place this past summer, but delayed until 2021 because of the virus.

Little is known about how the virus affects the long-term health of individuals who were already infected, including athletes. South African researchers are leading an international effort to try to find answers.

Wenda Nel, a South African runner, has recovered from COVID-19, the disease² caused by the virus. Nel told VOA that she is happy to be running again in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

"It was about two to four weeks that I've took it very slowly with the training. Checked my heart rate every training session³. And from there, I actually went into full program. And I feel stronger...and actually fully⁴ recovered right now."

Martin Schwellnus is a Professor of Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Pretoria. He directs the university's Sport, Exercise Medicine, and Lifestyle Institute (SEMLI).

Schwellnus is leading a group of scientists in setting⁵ guidelines⁶ for doctors who treat athletes recovering from serious respiratory infections, including the coronavirus. The Sport, Exercise Medicine, and Lifestyle Institute launched⁷ the international AWARE Research Study as part of this work. The project includes information from the COVID-19 Recovery⁸ Clinic for athletes.

Schwellnus says COVID-19 seems to affect many different organ systems.

"In the returning to sport, it could result in medical complications¹⁰. And to date, we don't really know what these are for COVID. And so, the focus of the project is to investigate what happens in an athlete when they had COVID and how does the body heal¹ and respond."

The project uses an online questionnaire to gather information from any person training for three hours a week who had serious respiratory infections, including COVID-19. Those recovering from the disease can join the COVID-19 Recovery Clinic for help returning to sports.

Marcel Jooste is both an athlete and a medical doctor. He joined the clinic after he recovered from COVID-19, which he caught from a patient.

Jooste told VOA that he has done all expected of him so that he could return to training. He adds that he is required to tell doctors how he feels following physical exercise.

The research examines COVID-19's effect on all organ systems.

Early findings¹¹ show that athletes who have had COVID-19 find low-intensity exercise to be harder and recovery time much longer than from other respiratory infections.

Kelly Muller is a rehabilitation¹² specialist at the University of Pretoria's SEMLI. She says evidence-based guidelines should help recovering athletes to better and more safely prepare for the Olympic games.

"If an athlete does happen to contract COVID-19, it would be really important and really valuable for coaches and medical professionals to have evidence-based advice to guide that athlete back to their performance in the shortest time possible."

For Wenda Nel and other athletes recovering from the infection, the research could help them come home from Tokyo as Olympic champions.

Words in This Story

athlete – n. a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength

check – v. to look at (something) carefully to find mistakes, problems, etc., or to make sure there is nothing wrong with it

complication⁹ – n. something that makes something harder to understand, explain, or deal with

rehabilitation – n. restoration especially by therapeutic¹³ means to an improved condition of physical function

respiratory – adj. related¹⁴ to the movement of air or dissolved gases into and out of the lungs

session – n. a period of time that is used to do a particular activity

1 heal   

v.使愈合，治愈，使康复；平息(争吵等)；消除，解决(分支等)

参考例句：

• Time helped heal the old wounds.时间有助于治愈旧创伤。
• This wound will soon heal if yon keep it clean.如果你保持伤口清洁，它很快就会痊愈。

2 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

3 session   

n.会议，开庭期，市盘，学期；adj.短期的

参考例句：

• This matter will go over until the next session.这件事将留待下次会议讨论。
• Congress is now in session.国会现在正在开会。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

6 guidelines   

n.指导方针，准则

参考例句：

• The government has drawn up guidelines on the treatment of the mentally ill. 政府制订了对待精神病人的指导方针。
• Planners seem a little uncomfortable with the current government guidelines. 规划师似乎不太接受现行的政府指道方针。

7 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

8 recovery   

n.恢复，痊愈；追回，寻回，收复

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• The quick recovery was truly in response to medication.这次迅速康复确实是对药物治疗的反应。

9 complication   

n.（新出现的）困难，难题，并发症

参考例句：

• This was an unforeseen complication.这是未预见到的复杂情况。
• The car ran out of petrol,and as a further complication I had no money!汽车没油了，更麻烦的是我身上没有钱！

10 complications   

（新出现的）困难，难题( complication的名词复数 )； 并发症； 曲折

参考例句：

• Complications set in, and the patient died. 病人因出现并发症而死亡。
• Normally there are no complications with the medicine. 服用这种药按理不会产生并发症。

11 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

12 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

13 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

14 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。