Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic process on training taekwondo athletes

The aim of this research is to examine the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the training of Taekwondo athletes in the Olympic Sports Branches. In this study, the phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used. In the study group, members of the board of directors working in the Turkish taekwondo federation and 14 volunteer participants selected by the purposeful sampling method from sports club managers, international taekwondo referees, taekwondo national team trainers, and national taekwondo athletes participating in Turkey championships. In the data collection technique of the research, firstly, a voluntary consent form containing personal information was obtained from the participants. In the individual interviews, questions were directed to the participants using a semi-structured interview form. In consultation with the taekwondo club manager and trainer, who are experts in their fields, 4 different questions were asked and their answers were recorded with a voice recorder. Research data were analyzed using descriptive analysis method. The interview data were deciphered, organized, coded and themes were determined by determining meaningful data. The themes determined in line with the data obtained from the participants were determined as the process of training athletes, the effects of the covid-19 pandemic and the perspective of the future in raising athletes. As a result of the research, it was understood that the difficulties experienced in raising athletes during the Covid-19 pandemic were tried to be minimized with different online programs and online applications. It has been determined that online pumse competitions, especially together with online programs and online trainings, are important in terms of eliminating the physical and psychological problems that arise on the athletes to a large extent. Due to the restriction of face-to-face training, it has been understood that although not very many professional athletes, newly started and trained athletes are greatly affected, there are many athletes who quit sports, and sports clubs and coaches are negatively affected financially. In the 21st century, it has been seen that Taekwondo sport will develop with the advancement of technology and the achievements will continue, especially in the Olympics, and Taekwondo sport is expected to be in e-sports in the near future.