فاطمه شاهقلیان

Background: COVID-19 transmission in team sports is common, but it's uncertain if face masks impact handball players' performance. Aim: This study investigated the effects of wearing surgical face masks during handball exercise for four weeks on athletic performance. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four adolescent handball female players and 17 trained females as the control group were selected in this study. Players were divided into two groups: the mask group (n= 17; age: 12.63±0.67 years, BMI: 20.61±1.19 kg/m2) and the unmasked group (n= 17; age: 13.45± 1.03 years, BMI: 21.08±1.46 kg/m2), who underwent 4-week training with and without face masks, respectively. Performance tests were conducted before and after the training program, which include: countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), 10m, 20m, and 30m sprint, medicine ball throw, and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (Yo-YoIRT1). Results: After four weeks, both mask and unmasked groups showed significant improvements in CMJ, SJ, 10m, 20m, and 30m sprint, medicine ball throw, and Yo-YoIRT1 (P≤ 0.05). Conclusion: This study concludes that adolescent handball players can safely use face masks during physical activity without experiencing negative effects on their athletic performance.