Author(s): NAGORNA, V., MYTKO, A., LORENZETTI, S., Institution: SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF SPORT MAGGLINGEN, Country: SWITZERLAND, Abstract-ID: 177

INTRODUCTION:
Traditionally, sports science research has been predominantly male-centric, assuming that training approaches effective for men are equally applicable to women. However, there is a growing acknowledgment of the imperative for gender-specific research to tailor interventions to optimize the health and performance of female athletes. Female athletes exhibit unique physiological and psychological factors, such as variations in the menstrual cycle, considerations for breast support, pelvic floor health, and hormonal fluctuations. Establishing an equitable training environment for female athletes necessitates a customized approach that accommodates their distinctive needs and differences, rather than replicating the training regimen designed for male athletes.
METHODS:
Bibliometric techniques were applied in this study to gather highly cited papers in sports sciences published during 2005-2023 (Scopus search, the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Core Collection, Google Academy, webometrics, perplexity.ai). The method of expert surveying and evaluation was used to determine the modern problems of womens elite sports. From 160 respondents, an expert group of sports scientists and coaches of national teams (n=20) was selected, who had experience working with elite female athletes. The analysis of the experts analytical notes allowed us to obtain individual information about the state of womens sports in each country and different kinds of modern sports, as well as to identify general issues regarding the planning of training and competition loads for female athletes. Mathematical and statistical processing and data analysis were carried out using the computing and graphic capabilities of the computer programs "Statistica" (Statsoft, version 7.0) and Microsoft Excel 2010.
RESULTS:
Content analysis of the literature-based information allowed us to identify the leaders in sports science in gender questions in the following countries: America, Canada, England, Switzerland, Norway, China, South Africa, Ukraine, and Poland. The officials and the national teams’ coaches (n=20) of these countries were included in the expert group. The following factors were identified based on the experts` answers as the main problems in female sports: outdated systems of training female athletes without taking into account their biological cycles (80%); old injuries or illnesses that arose as a result of the incompetence of the previous/youth coaches (55%); transferring the training models of male athletes to the training of women (60%); insufficient pharmacological and medico-biological support of womens national teams during training, competitions and recovery (60%); load planning during special physical training is the same as for men (70%); less attention to womens sports in financial and organizational aspects (65%).
CONCLUSION:
Employing the method of expert evaluation, it is evident that womens elite sports encounter disparities in both economic and organizational support when compared to their male counterparts. This imbalance has the potential to adversely impact the motivation of female athletes to pursue a competitive sports career. A comprehensive review of the existing literature affords a unique insight into the optimization of training preparation, offering valuable information to enhance the efficacy of competitive activities in womens elite sports. Acknowledging the gender-specific differences elucidated in this study is anticipated to exert a positive influence on the performance of female athletes in contemporary competitive sports. By addressing these issues, there is an opportunity to foster a more equitable and supportive environment, ultimately contributing to the advancement of womens elite sports on a global scale.