Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 Disease; a Report of Iranian Professional Football

All sporting events were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many athletes su ered from the infection. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and training days lost to COVID-19 in professional football. Methods: This questionnaire-based report on COVID-19 symptoms was conducted during the 2019-20 Iranian men’s premier league and second division football. Team members with positive PCR tests were enrolled in the study and were told to fill in the question-naire after the resolution of the symptoms. The questionnaire was designed to measure the frequency, severity, and duration of COVID-19-related symptoms. Results: Out of 133 males, including 86 players and 47 team oÿcials with a mean age of 30.81 ± 10.7 years, 63.2% reported experi-encing no symptoms. The most frequent symptom was the loss of smell, while the least frequently reported symptom was gastroin-testinal unrest. It was also revealed that our population missed an average of 12.89 days to return to the team training. Conclusions: Since most of the infected individuals in our population were asymptomatic proper case identification using regular PCR testing could stop the transmission of the disease more e ectively. Also, more attention is required to be paid to less severe symptoms such as the loss of smell and taste. Moreover, the days lost due to COVID-19 are almost comparable to the days lost by other injuries for the players, which highlights the importance of taking proper preventive measures.