Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst: can we perform remote data collection in sport sciences?

Abstract

The outbreak of the new Coronavirus and the sudden lockdown promoted alternative approaches for health care procedures, such as telemedicine and telerehabilitation appointments. The establishment of ​​social distancing as the "new normal" and use of technologies became necessary for remote online activities (i.e., school, work, leisure and shopping). Considering that COVID-19 changed the way health care is supported, maybe it is a paramount time to rethink new possibilities also for sport science, since face-to-face experiments and all activities were suspended. In this Perspective, we discuss possibilities related to data acquisition in sport sciences, highlighting remote assessments in an online remote-scenario. Specifically, we propose that the incorporation of new available smart technologies which can help in supporting research in sport science, and that this will be inevitable in the near future. Consequently, observations about the possibility of remote assessments, data robustness and evolution of current data acquisition practices are presented. Finally, we hope this Perspective serves as a point of departure for discussing new possibilities for data collection and experimental designs.