International Sports Medicine Congress and 18th Turkish Sports Medicine Congress, 3 - 05 Aralık 2021, ss.50
Aim: The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all sports events, as well as the Turkish Women’s Football League. The
2019-2020 season was first ceasedthan cancelled. The league’s 2020-2021 season was played in Antalya, with the
participation of 16 teams in a “bubble” tournament format, between 17 April and 5 May 2021. This study aims to
investigate the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 in the Turkish Women’s Football League and the effect of the “bubble”
concept on person-to-person transmission.
Method: To determine the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 in the Turkish Women’s Football League, the infection history
of everyone participating in the tournament was questioned and compared with the prevalence of Covid-19
in the community. Daily symptom checks and routine reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) (48-72 hours before
hotel check-in, upon arrival, and the day before matches) screening were performed to determine the potential
carriage of SARS-CoV-2. To reduce the risk of person-to-person transmission, all participants were instructed to
wear masks, and to follow hygiene, and social distance measures in all common areas. Follow-up of positive
cases, contacts, and suspected cases was done by TFF assigned tournament doctors. The onset date and type
of symptoms were recorded. The measures aplied in the stadium were according to the TFF’s “Regulation for
Measures to be Taken in Competitions Due to the Covid-19 Outbreak.”
Results: From 11.03.2020, when the first case was detected in Turkey, to 13.04.2021, the incidence of Covid-19 in
Turkey was 4.69%.During same period it was 10.8% in women football players and 5.79% in team managers. In the
pre-arrival test, Covid-19 was detected in 5.03% of women football players (19 out of 377). Of the tests performed
to footballers during the “Bubble”, Covid-19 has been detected in 0.83% (3/358). Tests of 1 team manager and
2 referees, who were in the “bubble” but not in contact with players, were positive. All 6 detected cases were
asymptomatic when detected. 5 cases later showed flu-like symptoms. Hospitalization was not required. It was
revealed that 5 out of 6 cases had contact with a the positive case before the tournament. The case detected
on the 20th day of the “bubble” remained asymptomatic. It was a recovered person from Covid-19, before the
tournament. The source of transmission could not be found.
Conclusion: The frequency of Covid-19 in women football players is higher than in the Turkish community. We
conclude that is because football is a team sport and a contact sport. PCR scanning 48-72 hours before arrival
is an important step in identifying potential SARS-CoV-2 carriers before they enter the “bubble”. No person-toperson covid-19 transmission was detected during the tournament. An athlete whose source of contamination
could not be determined had no contact with other positive cases in the bubble. Being beyond the 3 months
post infection, generally accepted non infective positiveness, we conclude the player to be a re-infection case.
We conclude that the bubble application, which includes testing, enhanced hygiene, social distancing and daily
symptom monitoring strategies, minimize the transmission of Covid 19 and ensures a safe environment for sports
organizations.