International Tournaments Research Articles

Emissions from air travel and major football tournaments

ABSTRACT Research Question This paper explores the environmental impact of air travel during two international football tournaments – the Mens FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championships – by estimating CO2 emissions from the movements of competing teams. Specifically, we consider how travel associated with major international football tournaments has evolved over time. Research Methods We access data for 895 international football matches (June 1990–July 2024). Our data focuses on the travel associated with players and management travelling to, and within, host countries and includes the movement of more than 16,000 people. Estimates of CO2 emissions per passenger (per kilometre) are used to examine the environmental impact of travelling to host countries, and competing, during the tournament. Results and Findings Our findings are the first attempt to demonstrate the CO2 emissions from team travel to and within major football tournaments. Despite improvements in aeroplane fuel efficiency, the carbon footprint from team travel has generally not been reduced. The decision to expand these tournaments, locate matches across large geographic areas, and use co-host countries has exacerbated this issue. Implications Our findings can support sustainability initiatives and could be adopted by both federations to curb CO2 emissions which appear to undermine genuine attempts to become more environmentally friendly.

A Star is Born: An analysis of the media construction of Linda Caicedo’s sporting star status in Colombia

The teenage Colombian woman footballer Linda Caicedo has had a meteoric rise to prominence following her performances in several international tournaments in 2022 and 2023. Her star status is important to analyse from an intersectional perspective given her identity as a Black woman from humble Colombian origins. There has been insufficient analysis of the meanings and representations of Black women footballers, let al.one sportswomen from Latin America regarding their star construction. Therefore, this article investigates media narratives around Linda Caicedo, by analysing three Colombian publications, El Espectador, El Tiempo and Semana around the time of the 2022 Women’s Copa América, the 2022 Under 20 Women’s World Cup, the 2022 Under 17 Women’s World Cup, and the Women’s World Cup in 2023. We argue that media narratives present a rupture with traditional discourse around women’s football in Colombia, by constructing her star status around her exceptional playing attributes, her values and capacity to overcome obstacles.

Cardiovascular Response and Locomotor Demands of Elite Basketball Referees During International Tournament: A Within- and Between-Referee Analysis.

There is little knowledge about within- and between-referee variation (WBRV) in cardiovascular responses (CVR) and locomotor game demands (LMD). Thus, the primary aim of this study was to assess the WBRV of CVR and LMD in male basketball referees during elite international games in preparation [e.g., warm-up (WU) and re-warm-up (R-WU)] and active game phases. The secondary aim was to explore quarter-by-quarter differences in CVR and LMD. Thirty-five international male referees took part in this study (age, 40.4 ± 5.4 years; body height, 184.9 ± 5.7 cm; body weight, 85.1 ± 7.5 kg; BMI, 24.0 ± 1.7 kg × m-2; fat%, 18.8 ± 4.7% and VO2max, 50.4 ± 2.2 L × kg-1 × min-1. In total, 76 games (e.g., 228 officiating cases) were analyzed during the FIBA elite men's competition. They officiated 4.5 games on average (range 3-9 games). Each referee used the Polar Team Pro system to measure CVR [e.g., heart rate (HR), time spent in different HR intensity categories] and LMD (e.g., distance covered, maximal and average velocity, and number of accelerations). Results showed that the referees had bigger WBRV during the active and preparation (e.g., W-U than R-WU) phase when variables of higher CVR and LMD intensity were observed (e.g., time spent at higher HR zones, distance covered in higher speed zones). The WBRV, CVR, and LMD were higher during WU than R-WU. Moreover, the referees had a lower CVR and LMD in the second half. In conclusion, the referees should establish and follow consistently a game-to-game preparation routine and attempt to spread their on-court preparation time equally within the crew. A half-time preparation routine should be improved to re-establish a sufficient activation level similar to that achieved in pre-game preparation.

Impact of Volleyball Course on College Students’ Tactical Skills in China

In 1910, the game of volleyball was introduced in China. Currently, the level of Chinese competitive volleyball is relatively high, and it has achieved good results in international tournaments so it is timely and necessary to investigate its teaching in universities and colleges. The effects of playing volleyball may influence the students’ safety, physical conditioning, use of facilities, team considerations, experience with the coach or instructor, and tactical ability. Much has been studied in the field of volleyball including its health effects on its players. However, there was a dearth of literature on the effects of volleyball courses on university students in China. Thus, the study looked into this area of investigation to propose a teaching development for volleyball courses in universities and colleges in China. Using descriptive comparative correlational research design, the findings revealed that the majority of the participants were male first-year college students pursuing engineering studies. The college students evaluated the impact of their tactical skills in playing volleyball. The factors of safety and instructor received the highest assessment while the management of equipment and facilities had the lowest assessment. There was a significant difference in the assessment of the management of equipment and facilities domain based on the respondents’ year levels, with a small effect size. On the other hand, no significant difference was found in safety, physical conditioning, team consideration, instructor, and overall experience of college students in playing volleyball. Comparing the groups, 1st and 2nd year students scored higher in management of equipment and facilities than those 3rd year students. Overall, the college students were assessed to have average tactical skills in playing volleyball. Specifically, offensive tactical skills scored higher than defensive tactical skills.

FormatAEG: a framework for bypassing ASLR defense and automated exploitation of format string vulnerability

Abstract The format string vulnerability is a common software vulnerability. A well-constructed format string can read and modify arbitrary memory addresses, causing serious system problems. Existing automated exploit generation solutions for format string vulnerability are unable to cope with the limitations imposed by the vulnerability defense mechanism Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and the program itself on vulnerability exploitation. In this paper, to address the above challenges, we propose FormatAEG, the first automatic exploitation framework for format string vulnerabilities that can bypass ASLR defense and the program's own constraints. Specifically, we first proposed an arbitrary address reading and writing method based on a format string vulnerability, which can modify the target address data by directly arranging the target address or automatically searching and utilizing the pointer chain in the stack. Then, we propose a vulnerability reentry method based on global offset table (GOT) hijacking, which hijacks the program control flow by modifying function addresses in the GOT, making the vulnerability reentrant. In the experimental section, we evaluated FormatAEG using 20 Capture The Flag programs from top international tournaments and two real-world programs with format string vulnerabilities. The evaluation results show that with ASLR defense turned on, FormatAEG successfully detects format string vulnerability in 19 of these programs and generates exploit code for 15 of them. Compared with existing tools, FormatAEG detected 11 more format string vulnerabilities and generated 13 more exploit codes.

Characteristics of potential head injury situations at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM.

This exploratory video analysis study aimed to review characteristics of potential head injury situations during a men's professional international football tournament. For 64 matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ FIFA analysts used match footage to record all potential head injury situations. A potential head injury situation was defined as a player staying down for more than 5 s and/or requesting medical attention, and where the body impact location included the player's head. Characteristics were further recorded for match, player (i.e. player action including aerial duels), medical assessment, and outcome (e.g. substitution). Descriptive statistics are reported as well as Pearson's Chi-squared test (or Fisher's exact test) to explore potential head injury situations more likely to result in medical attention. In total, 149 potential head injury situations occurred in 56 matches (mean 2.33/match, range 0-6) involving 117 players. Eight matches resulted in no incidents. Aerial duels were the most frequent match characteristic leading to a potential head injury situation. Injury stoppage with on-pitch medical assessment occurred in 35 of the 149 potential head injury situations (23%), with pitch-side assessment also occurring in 15 situations (10%), resulting in four concussion substitutions. Players were more likely to require medical attention for potential head injuries sustained when the ball was loose (χ2 = 6.88; p = 0.038) when the injured player was jumping (FET p = 0.044) and for head-to-head contact (FET p = <0.001). Further exploration of aerial duels during match play which do and do not lead to potential and actual head injuries is recommended.

Match characteristics of women’s and men’s singles and doubles events in elite badminton

ABSTRACT Currently, a comprehensive match data collection for badminton does not yet exist. Competition analyses in badminton commonly focus on the singles events, while there is a lack of knowledge of the event characteristics of men’s and women’s doubles as well as mixed doubles. To date, no study has investigated all five events at the highest international tournament level. However, knowledge of the time structure in a given discipline is essential for elite badminton coaches to set specific training drills. Therefore, we analysed the time structure of matches played across all events at the 2018 Badminton World Federation Championships. Our results showed that game duration was longer in women’s doubles than in mixed doubles. Women’s doubles consisted of the longest rally times and highest percentage of real-time played. The rest time, rest time between games and total points played did not differ between the disciplines. Men’s doubles and mixed doubles were characterised by the shortest rally times and highest shot frequencies. Our findings confirmed the assumed differences in the time structures between these five events. Coaches should apply a differentiated approach to training elite badminton players and implement specific training drills, such as “multi-shuttle drills” with event-specific frequencies.

Energy expenditure of international female rugby union players during a major international tournament: a doubly labelled water study.

The purpose of this study was to quantify the total energy expenditure (TEE) of international female rugby union players. Fifteen players were assessed over 14 days throughout an international multi-game tournament, which represented two consecutive one-match microcycles. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) and TEE were assessed by indirect calorimetry and doubly labelled water, respectively. Physical activity level (PAL) was estimated (TEE:RMR). Mean RMR, TEE, and PAL were 6.60±0.93MJ·day-1 (1578 ± 223kcal·day-1), 13.51±2.28MJ·day-1 (3229 ± 545kcal·day-1), and 2.0±0.3 AU, respectively. There was no difference in TEE (13.74±2.31 (3284 ± 554kcal·day-1) vs. 13.92±2.10MJ·day-1 (3327 ± 502kcal·day-1); p=0.754), or PAL (2.06±0.26 AU vs. 2.09±0.23 AU; p=0.735) across microcycles, despite substantial decreases in training load (total distance: -8088m, collisions: -20 n, training duration: -252min). After correcting for body composition, there was no difference in TEE (13.80±1.74 (3298±416 adj. kcal·day-1) vs. 13.16±1.97 (3145±471 adj. kcal·day-1) adj. MJ·day-1, p=0.190), RMR (6.49±0.81 (1551±194 adj. kcal·day-1) vs. 6.73±0.83 (1609±198 adj. kcal·day-1) adj. MJ·day-1, p=0.633) or PAL (2.15±0.14vs. 1.87±0.26 AU, p=0.090) between forwards and backs. For an injured participant (n=1), TEE reduced by 1.7MJ·day-1 (-401kcal·day-1) from pre-injury. For participants with illness (n=3), TEE was similar to pre-illness (+0.49MJ·day-1 (+117kcal·day-1)). The energy requirements of international female rugby players were consistent across one-match microcycles. Forwards and backs had similar adjusted energy requirements. These findings are critical to inform the dietary guidance provided to female rugby players.

Broadening our understanding of injury mechanisms to include at-risk situations: an overview of potential injuries at the FIFA men’s World Cup Qatar 2022TM

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine and describe the characteristics of potential injury situations during a men’s professional international tournament quantified using the FIFA Football Language Medical Coding. A prospective study was conducted during the 64 matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, during which five analysts recorded potential injury situations from video analysis. ”Potential injuries” were recorded when players stayed down > 5 s and/or requested medical attention. Characteristics were further recorded for variables such as opponent’s action and body location. In total, 720 potential injury situations were recorded of which 139 required medical assessment. The actions which resulted in most potential injuries were running while receiving a pass (74; 10%), while passing the ball (59; 8%), and while progressing with the ball (48; 7%). Duels and ball progression led to a potential injury in 3.0% and 2.1% of all similar actions in total. Both aerial duels and ball progression led to an potential injury that required medical assessment on 0.4% of occasions. Most potential injuries involved the head (149; 21%), foot (120; 17%), or lower leg (110; 15%) with most medical assessments of the head (35; 25%), lower leg (17; 12%), and knee (15; 11%) with a median duration of 47 seconds (IQR 28–61). This study provides a detailed overview of match circumstances that may have a higher injury risk. Although some variables within the coding system need improvement to increase reliability, its use will allow a more detailed comparison of differences between high-risk player actions leading to injury and those that do not, which can improve future prevention strategies.

Zones where corner kicks are most effective in the penalty box: Is there a sweet spot?

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of corner kicks, analyze the goal patterns resulting from corner kicks, and develop a model for the implementation of optimal corner kick strategies. The study used a descriptive retrospective design, and the data consisted of 455.898 corner kicks from matches played by 768 teams in 33 different leagues and an international tournament (UEFA). Six different models based on logistic regression were developed and analyzed. The results showed that more goals were scored from certain zones (1c, 2b, and 2c) inside the penalty area than from others ( p &lt; 0.001). According to logistic regression, zones 1c and 2c increased the probability of scoring a goal by 1.12 and 1.08 times, respectively, compared to other regions. In addition, it is noticeable that the probability of scoring from the zones varies considerably depending on the type of kick. Further results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between goals scored from in-swing and out-swing corners, but significant differences were found for the other types of corners. Finally, 3.1% of all corners resulted in goals, and 69% of those goals resulted in a draw or the team taking the lead in the match. For these reasons, it is important to develop new corner-kick strategies in order to score goals and win matches.

Penalty shootouts and bitcoin trading

ABSTRACT Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and bitcoin is a global asset. Penalty shootouts represent an important stage in a soccer match and generate an enormous amount of public interest and attention. Bitcoin trading experiences a significant drop in volume and volatility during penalty shootouts at major international soccer tournaments. After the conclusion of penalty shootouts, the intensity of bitcoin trading exhibits a swift and a strong rebound. Significant fluctuations in trading volume and volatility of bitcoin around penalty shootouts are primarily driven by the variation in number of trades rather than in trade size.

An Exploratory Study on the Conceptualization of Burnout among the Professional Esports Athletes: Focused on League of Legends Champions Korea League.

Research on the stress and burnout experienced by athletes in the esports field remains limited, necessitating an approach that considers the unique environment and circumstances of esports athletes. This study aims to explore the conceptualization of burnout experiences among professional esports athletes. The participants included 88 athletes from the League of Legends Championship Korea (LCK). Among these, in-depth interviews were conducted with 7 athletes who had experience in international tournaments (the World Championship), while an open-ended survey was completed by 81 athletes. Data collected through in-depth interviews and an open-ended survey were digitized and utilized for analysis. Through critical review by another author and inductive categorization, the conceptual components of esports athletes' burnout were derived. Through the analysis of 251 raw datum, it was conceptualized into five conceptual factors: performance, overtraining, interpersonal relationships, physical and psychological exhaustion, and career and motivation. The results of this study confirm that esports athletes, like athletes in other conventional sports, experience burnout during their careers, highlighting issues in their unique environment, particularly in aspects of interpersonal relationships and training and rest conditions. This research can serve as a foundational resource for effective athletes' psychological health management in the esports field and underscores the need for further research on burnout among esports athletes.

Building European Fraternity Through Gymnastics: The Establishment of the Bureau Des Fédérations Européennes de Gymnastiques, 1863–1913

The historiography of ‘associative gymnastics’ has mostly focused on the ways individual countries used gymnastics in education and in the military and to build patriotic fervour. In contrast, scholars have paid little attention to the early internationalization of gymnastics in Europe and beyond. The present paper draws on original research, notably in the archives of the Swiss Gymnastics Federation and the Olympic Studies Centre, to examine the process by which Switzerland’s model of ‘federal’ gymnastics festivals spread throughout Europe from the 1860s onwards and gave rise to intense exchanges (documentation, official delegations, competitors) between the national federations that were emerging at the time. This process, together with the work of Nicolaas Jan Cupérus, from Belgium, helped pave the way for establishing the Bureau des Fédérations Européennes de Gymnastique (BFEG), whose foundation historians traditionally trace back to a meeting in Liège in 1881. Analysis of the BFEG’s early history revealed the main issues (apoliticism, secularism, amateurism) and tensions (nationalism vs. internationalism) that accompanied its development. Its relationship with the newly founded International Olympic Committee and the modern doctrine of Olympism also had a profound impact on the BFEG and its decision to create a true international gymnastics tournament.

Erythrocyte Phospholipid Fatty Acid Profile in High-Level Endurance Runners

Fatty acids (FAs) are the major structural component of erythrocyte membranes. Diet and physical exercise directly influence their incorporation and function. Endurance runners engage in high volumes of weekly aerobic training, alternating between low-intensity and high-intensity sessions. The aim of the study was to assess and compare the erythrocyte FA profile in a group of high-level male endurance runners (EG) with a control group of non-athlete subjects (CG). This observational study was conducted on 85 subjects, 63 high-level male endurance runners (23 ± 3 years; height: 1.76 ± 0.05) and 22 subjects who did not engage in regular physical exercise (21 ± 0.5 years; height: 1.68 ± 0.39). Runners had at least five years of training experience, and all of them were participants in national and international tournaments. FAs determination was performed using gas chromatography. Higher percentages of Palmitic Acid (PA), Stearic Acid (SA), Oleic Acid (OA), Calendic Acid (CA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosapentaenoic Acid (DPA), and lower percentages of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) were found in the EG compared to the CG. High-level endurance runners exhibit altered erythrocyte FA profiles with low percentages of omega-3 index (ω-3 index) and DHA, which may affect erythrocyte membrane function as well as their performance.

The Beginnings of the International Ice Hockey Federation

The foundation of the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1908 was rather complex, as the very essence of the game had to be defined. On the one hand, it had to be decided (not least organisationally) whether ice hockey was to be a discipline of its own or just a sub-discipline of ice sports together with speedskating and figure skating. On the other hand, and more importantly, several different sets of rules were in place and there even existed two distinct ice hockey games: English bandy and Canadian ice hockey. This article reviews international ice hockey relations prior to the foundation of the federation, the foundation process and early development of the federation, the social position and sports careers of the founders and early officials as well as international ice hockey tournaments prior to World War I.

Meta-analysis of the effects of VAR on goals scored and home advantage in football

Video assistant referee (VAR) has been introduced to elite football (soccer) to avoid clear and obvious mistakes, especially for goal scoring situations. Some literature has reported on VAR’s impact on the game across particular league competitions. The current study meta-analysed data across two seasons (pre-VAR and post-VAR) from 20 competitions ( n = 9076 matches; men’s domestic leagues and both men’s and women’s international tournaments) to examine the overall impact that VAR initially had on number of goals scored, and the extent of inter-competition heterogeneity. A secondary aim was to determine any VAR-associated reduction in home advantage for goals scored, mean result direction and match closeness. Findings demonstrated that there were no overall statistically significant nor meaningful differences between pre and post-VAR seasons/competitions for total number of goals scored per match. Similarly, there were no VAR-associated reductions in home advantage in terms of goals scored, mean result direction and closeness of match outcome. There was moderate heterogeneity for some comparisons, and VAR lessened inter-competition variance for number of goals scored and match score closeness. Implications of findings are discussed. As the largest VAR-focused study and the first to use meta-analytic approach, the current findings are the most comprehensive and definitive to date.

On-Air, Off-Balance: Detecting and Examining Media Biases in Filipino Sportscasting

With sports gaining global acclaim and recognition, media outlets have extensively covered a myriad of sporting events with a particular emphasis on international tournaments. In the digital age, media is crucial for disseminating news and shaping audience perspectives especially in sportscasting where local sportscasters tend to show affection and allegiance to their home nation by providing more airtime and positive commentaries to athletes representing their country. Such an approach shortchanges the viewers’ right to unbiased and diverse perspectives. Hence, it is imperative for media outlets, particularly during live sports broadcasts, to adeptly navigate and manage biases, given the significant impact of nationalistic positioning on sports media. In this study, the researchers analyzed the language employed by sportscasters in the local media coverage of the games of the Philippines Men’s Basketball Team, also known as Gilas Pilipinas, during the FIBA World Cup 2023. Following a mixed-method approach, the study sought to understand how sportscasters detect and manage media biases through corpus analysis. The investigation involved identifying prevalent forms of media biases within the study corpus, focusing on lexico-semantic, discourse, and pragmatic constructions that serve as indicators of these biases. The study findings indicated that all the analyzed sports broadcasts contained evident manifestations of media biases. Moreover, it was revealed that Filipino sportscasters exhibited a range of media biases favoring Gilas Pilipinas, and that the media biases in their utterances were affected by the phenomenon of nationalistic positioning that raises concerns about fairness and impartiality. Consequently, the frequency of these biased expressions in sportscasters' utterances was found to be contingent upon the specific context, varying with the situation. Furthermore, these biases can be identified through specific linguistic cues and features. This paper underscores the importance of fostering a more equitable sportscasting environment while simultaneously fortifying language and media education initiatives.

Differences between 48 and 72-hour intervals on match load and subsequent recovery: a report from the Brazilian under-20 national football team

PurposeTo compare the external and internal load and subsequent recovery of football players after international tournament matches separated by 48 h vs. 72 h.MethodsA total of 14 male football players from the Brazilian National Team, competing in the 2019 South American Under-20 Championship, participated in the study. Match load was quantified using GPS variables and perceived exertion ratings (1). Additionally, before and 13–15 h after each match, players answered questions about the number of hours and quality of sleep, recovery status, and muscle soreness (0–10) and provided a blood sample for creatine kinase and reactive C-protein analysis. Values of all variables were compared between matches played with 48-h intervals (matches 1–4) and 72-h intervals (matches 5–8).ResultsNo significant differences in performance or perceptual parameters were observed between matches (p = 0.136–0.953). However, CK was higher in matches 1–4 compared to matches 5 and 6; and ΔPCR was higher in matches 2 and 3 compared to matches 5 and 6, and in match 4 compared to matches 5 and 8.ConclusionsAfter matches with a 48-h rest interval, players showed increased markers of inflammation and muscle damage compared to matches with a 72-h rest interval.

Assessing ethical behavior and self-control in elite ultimate championships: a cross-sectional study using the spirit of the game scoring system.

Implementing a self-refereeing system presents a unique challenge in sports education, particularly in academic and training settings where officiated sports prevail. However, Ultimate Frisbee stands out by entrusting players with both athlete and referee roles, introducing distinctive ethical complexities. This manuscript is intended to evaluate ethical behavior and self-control within the Spirit of the Game (SOTG) scoring system in Elite Ultimate. To address these, Ultimate employs the (SOTG) scoring system, integral since the sport's inception in the late 1980s. SOTG aims to enhance and evaluate athletes' ethical conduct. This study evaluates SOTG's effectiveness in elite-level Ultimate, analyzing variations across divisions and age groups in three high-level tournaments. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from five international Ultimate tournaments in 2022. Teams spanned diverse age groups (under 17 to over 50) and divisions (women's, mixed, open). Post-match, teams assessed opponents' SOTG in five domains: Rules knowledge, fouls, fairness, attitude/self-control, and communication. Ratings used a 5-point Likert scale ("poor" to "excellent"). An overall SOTG score was calculated by aggregating domain scores. Our study consistently revealed high SOTG scores, reflecting strong sportsmanship. "Positive attitude and self-control" consistently ranked highest, while "Knowledge and use of the rules" scored lowest. Divisional differences in SOTG were statistically insignificant. Notably, WMUCC2022 (participants aged 30+) had significantly higher SOTG scores, possibly indicating age-related self-control improvement or evolving sport culture. Lower rules knowledge scores may stem from linguistic translation challenges. Self-refereeing promotes ethical behavior across divisions and age groups. SOTG underscores sportsmanship's importance and aligns with International Olympic Committee (IOC) and with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3, 4, 5 and 16 fostering a fairer, healthier, and more peaceful world.

The Effect of 8 Weeks Preparatory Training Program on Body Composition and Blood Parameters in Elite Wrestlers

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of an 8-week training program applied during the preparatory period of elite-level wrestlers on blood parameters and body composition. This study involved the voluntary participation of 10 Greco-Roman wrestlers competing at the national team level and achieving rankings in international tournaments. The participants had an average age of 22.00 ± 3.2 years, an average height of 172.00 ± 8.4 cm, and an average weight of 80.50 ± 11.9 kg. These wrestlers had approximately 12 years of wrestling experience. An 8-week preparatory training program, prepared by experts and coaches, was implemented for participant wrestlers. This training program was applied at the national team level and in the adult category. It was carried out following a 20-day active rest period during the offseason. The following tests and measurements were conducted at the beginning and end of the training program. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 10.0. The mean values and standard deviations of the measured parameters for all participants were calculated. The paired-sample t-test was applied to identify differences between pre and post 8-week preparatory training program. When the participants' blood lipid values were examined, no significant difference was observed in HGB and HCT values between the pre-test and post-test, while RBC and WBC values showed a statistically significant increase (p0.05). When the participants' body composition values were examined, a significant decrease was observed in body fat percentage (BFP) and body fat mass (BFM), while there was a significant increase in lean body mass (LBM) (p0.05). In conclusion, it has been determined that the 8-week preparatory training program has positive effects on weight, body fat percentage, lean body mass, MaxVo2, strength, and immune health.Keywords: Body Composition, Hematological Parameters, Training Program