Recovery Process of Social Isolation Feelings among University Students after COVID-19 : Social Capital Formation through Participation in University Table Tennis Club Tournaments

This study examined university students’ experiences of feelings of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and explored how participation in a university sports club tournament facilitated social recovery through social capital formation, drawing on Coleman’s and Putnam’s perspectives. We conducted a single-case study of a student-run university table tennis club tournament in the D region that has been held annually for 38 years. We conducted in-depth interviews with seven university students and analyzed the data iteratively using Creswell’s (2012) spiral of data analysis. Participants reported persistent challenges during and after pandemic-era remote learning, including disrupted university relationships, uncertainty about their identity as university students, and limited coping resources, all of which contributed to emotional withdrawal. Recovery was facilitated in three ways. First, participants formed new ties with students from other universities through matches and social interaction. Second, they sustained those ties through continued online and offline interactions after the tournament. Third, they developed a sense of belonging by framing the tournament as a longstanding tradition, thereby strengthening community ties and norms of reciprocity. These findings suggest that university sports club tournaments can serve as valuable venues for rebuilding social connections and supporting post-COVID-19 social recovery from feelings of social isolation.