Assessment of COVID-19 precautionary measures in sports facilities: A case study on a health club in Saudi Arabia

Ahmed M Ibrahim,Mohammad A Hassanain

doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2021.103662

Abstract

Health club facilities represent a physical space for an industry that is centric to human health and fitness, serving various societal dimensions such as cultural, economic, and social aspects on the individual and the national levels. This research conducts an indicative post occupancy evaluation (POE), for assessing the provision of post-pandemic precautionary measures and management strategies, in health club facilities. The research activities comprised a review of literature, a walkthrough for assessing a case study health club facility, where precautionary measures were investigated to ascertain its preparedness. Observations of trainers and administrative staff were collected, to derive recommendations that ensure sustainable operation in response to the challenges set by COVID-19 on continuity of health club facilities. The research concludes with remarks to propose recommendations and future research directions. The research initiates a topic that is overlooked in the literature of sports management domain. This research serves to raise awareness among designers and managers of health club facilities on the precautionary measures of protecting health club facilities against safety and health risks of COVID-19, from different regional perspectives. This is by tackling an identified contextual gap on health club facilities in the relevant literature.

Highlights

Health club facilities represent a physical space for an industry that is centric to human health, and fitness, serving various societal dimensions such as cultural, economic, and social aspects on the individual and national levels
The results indicated different findings on each of the factors, despite its inclusion of users in its research methodology, it lacked the assessment of precautionary measures needed at sports facilities, specially at times of pandemics, such as COVID-19
The research investigated the literature to develop a list of the precautionary measures required in health club facilities, in response to the risks of the pandemic propagation

Summary

Introduction

Health club facilities represent a physical space for an industry that is centric to human health, and fitness, serving various societal dimensions such as cultural, economic, and social aspects on the individual and national levels. Health club facilities are wellbeing purposely built facilities, that aim to occupy different, or unique set of physical activities, usually offered based on a tailored select of users’ needs to improve their health, fitness, and stamina. These facilities are attended by users to relax, socialize, and to function as a place for inhabiting competitions and championships, whenever needed. Health club organizations and owners aim to satisfy varying needs of their subscribers to maintain revenue, while contributing to societal wellbeing and sustainability [1]

Objectives

Methods

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Conclusion