Online Training of University Students as Taekwondo Referees during a Coronavirus Pandemic
Online Training of University Students as Taekwondo Referees during a Coronavirus Pandemic

Summary/Abstract: COVID-19 caused the suspension of most sports events and the dismissal of all athletes, coaches, sports specialists, officials (referees and judges) and other persons involved in the field. In recent decades technological progress and digitalisation have undergone substantial development, thereby providing excellent opportunities for online training. In times of social distancing, hardware and software solutions have gained prominence as appropriate and necessary means of remote attendance for participants in educational events. Referees have become an integral part of modern sports as the officials upholding the proper application of the competition rules, fair play and the observance of the code of ethics during events, considering the pandemic situation, which renders the conducting of attended events impossible, as well as the key role of sports officials, we set out to organize the training of Taekwondo officials online. The target group for the study consisted of students from the Taekwondo Coach” specialty in the “Sports” faculty of the “Vassil Levski” National Sports Academy, given their specific knowledge and involvement in the sport. The implementation of the project showed that online training was a suitable method for the reinforcing, enriching and improving of the competencies of Taekwondo officials in Bulgaria during an ongoing pandemic. In the Taekwondo field, distance training proved to be a promising practice for the conducting of all theoretical and some practical classes for the officials in the country. The studies conducted allow us to conclude that during the COVID-19pandemic it is possible to use modern technical means and methods successfully in order to involve athletes, coaches and officials with sports activities. The results of this project provoke us to re-assess the policies and methods applicable to the training of officials at the national and the international level.

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