An Abertay University project is taking on the mental health strain felt by COVID-19 survivors through conversations with world-class athletes.

David Lavallee, professor of duty of care in sport, leads SPORT vs. COVID, an international research project that matches a person who has been negatively impacted by COVID-19 with a person who has competed in sport to a world-class standard. The parties connect using Blinder, which arranges calls at an agreed time without any personal contact details behind exchanged. The experiences are shared in private, with a follow-up conducted by the project team.

Although the sportspeople involved may not have been directly impacted by COVID-19, they are able to share their experiences as role models of how they, for example, dealt with uncertainty during their sporting career, stayed motivated during long periods of rehabilitation, and navigated the waves of significant changes including unexpected career transitions.