The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cold-water immersion (CWI) on lipid peroxides and antioxidant enzymes in adult Taekwondo athletes after a match. A cross-sectional study was performed. After a Taekwondo match, the control group remained seated passively, while the treatment group immersed their legs below the knee joint in cold water at 10 °C. Blood samples were taken at pre-match, post-match, post-treatment, and post-rest, and changes in malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) concentrations were analyzed. The results showed that there was a significant difference in MDA between the two groups, and while the CWI group had 19% lower SOD concentration compared to the control group, and the difference was not significant. However, in case of interaction for GPx concentration (p < 0.001), a statistically significant difference was found between the two groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, CWI after a Taekwondo match elevates the concentration of antioxidant enzymes.

Background and Objectives: Engaging in sports activities presents several benefits but also carries a risk of injury. Performing warm-up exercises may serve as a preventive measure against sports injuries. This study explored how participating in warm-up exercises is associated with complications, subsequent injury frequency, and recovery duration among athletes with a history of sports injuries. Materials and Methods: In this study, we performed cross-sectional secondary analysis of data derived from the 2024 Sports Safety Accident Survey conducted by the Korea Sports Safety Foundation, which is a nationally administered survey based on a structured questionnaire. The survey, conducted from November 2024 to December 2024, targeted 10,000 athletes aged ≥12 years registered in 64 sports nationwide. We utilized the data of 6063 athletes who had experienced sports injuries. The collected data were analyzed using frequency analyses, chi-squared tests, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. This study was conducted as a physical activity epidemiology study to examine associations between warm-up exercise participation and injury outcomes. Results: The likelihood of complications was higher among those who responded “not really” or “neutral” regarding participation in warm-up exercises. The likelihood of injuries was higher among those who responded “neutral” or “somewhat”. Furthermore, the likelihood of prolonged recovery was higher among those who responded “not really”, “neutral”, or “somewhat”. Conclusions: Performing warm-up exercises is an essential measure for athletes with a history of injuries to safely engage in sports activities. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight the importance of warm-up exercises among athletes and to implement a safety management system to encourage consistent performance.

Background: Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face multiple barriers to sports participation because of cognitive rigidity, sensory processing difficulties, and challenges in social interaction. Gamified virtual reality (VR) sports activities have emerged as a potential approach to support physical activity in this population. However, limited research has examined the psychological mechanisms underlying engagement in gamified VR sports activities among adolescents with ASD. Therefore, this study examined the association between engagement in gamified VR sports activities and sports participation intention among adolescents with ASD, focusing on the mediating roles of immersion and enjoyment. Methods: A total of 179 adolescents with ASD (aged 10–19 years; 78.2% male) and 179 corresponding proxy respondents (teachers and sports instructors) participated in this study, each forming a one-to-one respondent–participant pair. The participants were recruited from special education schools and sports clubs in South Korea that were equipped with non-immersive VR sports systems. Engagement in gamified VR sports activities, immersion, enjoyment, and sports participation intention were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the measurement model, and structural equation modeling with bootstrapping was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Results: Engagement in gamified VR sports activities was positively associated with immersion ( β = 0.337, p < 0.001) and enjoyment (β = 0.435, p < 0.001). Both immersion (β = 0.329, p < 0.001) and enjoyment (β = 0.403, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with sports participation intention. In addition, both immersion (95% CI = 0.155 to 0.382, p < 0.001) and enjoyment (95% CI = 0.139 to 0.359, p < 0.001) had significant indirect effects on the relationship between engagement and sports participation intention. Conclusion: The findings suggest that both immersion and enjoyment serve as meaningful psychological mediators linking engagement in gamified VR sports activities to sports participation intention among adolescents with ASD. The structured and predictable nature of gamified VR sports environments may be particularly well-suited to the cognitive and sensory characteristics of adolescents with ASD, facilitating psychological involvement and positive affective responses associated with greater sports participation intention. However, given the cross-sectional design and the use of proxy-reported measures, the findings should be interpreted with caution.