The aim of the study was to analyze etiology and the incidence of sports injuries among wheelchair rugby players. Moreover, we verified if the levels of aggressiveness and anger presented by the athletes and their roles in the team influenced the incidence and severity of the injuries. The study involved 14 male players, members of the Polish National Wheelchair Rugby Team. During a 9-month period, the athletes participated in up to 9 training camps and 4 Wheelchair Rugby tournaments. The study was based on the Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale, registry of sports injuries consulted and non-consulted with a physician and a demographic questionnaire. The following observations were made during the 9-month period corresponding to a mean of 25 training and tournament days: 1) wheelchair rugby players experienced primarily minor injuries (n=102) that did not require a medical intervention, 2) only four injuries needed to be consulted by a physician, 3) sports injuries occurred more frequently among offensive players than in defensive players, 4) offensive players showed a tendency to higher levels of anger and aggressiveness than defensive players. It can be concluded that wheelchair rugby is a discipline associated with a high incidence of minor injuries that do not require a medical intervention. The incidence rate of injuries during the analyzed period was 0.3 per athlete per training day.

Objective: The main aim of the study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on athletes preparing for the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games during 1 month of lockdown in Poland. The study involved 166 athletes (106 male, 66 female), members of either the Polish Paralympic Committee or the Polish Sports Association for the Disabled’Start’, two organizations responsible for managing and regulating sports played by persons with disabilities in Poland. Results: Athletes with disabilities have been strongly affected by the pandemic and the resultant lockdown. The majority of respondents reported that they trained at home (88.6%), whereas 60.2% of athletes trained outdoors, and 12% suspended their training regimens altogether. Only 5.4% of athletes had some access to sport facilities. The athletes reduced their weekly training time by almost half (9.4 h/week vs. 5.3 h/week), a statistically significant difference (t = 16.261, p < 0.001).

This is an overview of the results from 14 countries or jurisdictions in a Global Matrix of Para Report Cards on physical activity (PA) of children and adolescents with disabilities. The methodology was based on the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance’s Global Matrix 4.0. Data were aligned with 10 indicators (Overall PA, Organized Sport, Active Play, Active Transport, Physical Fitness, Sedentary Behavior, Family & Peers, Schools, Community & Environment, and Government) to produce Para Report Cards. Subsequently, there were 139 grades; 45% were incomplete, particularly for Active Play, Physical Fitness, and Family & Peers. Collectively, Overall PA was graded the lowest (F), with Schools and Government the highest (C). Disability-specific surveillance and research gaps in PA were apparent in 14 countries or jurisdictions around the world. More coverage of PA data in Para Report Cards is needed to serve as an advocacy tool to promote PA among children and adolescents with disabilities.

The relationship between sport result and pre-competition mental state of 109 boccia athletes was analyzed. Mental state was described by: athletic identity, self-esteem, self-efficacy for sports, hope for success, fear of failure, anxiety, and expectancy of success. Correlation analyses were made for all four boccia classes (BC1, BC2, BC3, and BC4) and revealed that only athletic identity was associated with sport result in class BC4. Four hierarchical multiple regression models (for BC1, BC2, BC3, and BC4 boccia classes) were created, with sport result as the dependent variable. Only the BC4 model was significant and included athletic identity, anxiety, self-efficacy for sports, and expectancy of success, which explained 49% of variance in sport result. BC4 class results indicate that psychological variables have a potential impact on sport performance in boccia, and the type and level of disability should be taken into account.

Introduction: This study investigates the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on mental health, coping styles and their relationship, and training opportunities in elite athletes with disabilities (AwD) preparing for national and international sport events during a ten‐month observation period.Methods: The study covered four time points in 3‐month intervals, one retrospective, and three times during the 10 months of the pandemic period with diversified numbers of average new infections per day: A—pre‐pandemic, B—third wave of the pandemic (mean = 15 681), C—decrease of the pandemic (mean = 102), and D—fourth wave of the pandemic (mean = 22 591). Main outcome measures included the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.Results: The models regarding changes in anxiety (F_(3,72) = 22.43; p < 0.001; partial η2 = 0.48) and depression (F_(3,72) = 23.82; p < 0.001; partial η² = 0.50) over the four time points of examination were significant. The pattern of relationship between coping styles and mood changes during COVID‐19 pandemic periods, that is, a sudden increase in anxiety during dynamic growth of infections (waves of a pandemic) and a steady increase in depression over the course of the pandemic was not found. The difference in planned and actual training decreased significantly over time (p < 0.001).Conclusions: During the transitionary times of the COVID‐19 pandemic, both mental health and training opportunities of AwD were at increased risk. Individual coping styles used by AwD were insufficient resources to cope with the extreme stress caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic. Their mental health should be monitored in pandemics and similar situations to ensure appropriate and timely organizational and psychological intervention.