Key result
One infected player in a 90-minute soccer match averages ~88 seconds of exposure per player.
Why the study?
The exposure to virus during soccer matches was not previously quantified.
What is the exposure time to a virus during elite soccer matches?
Observational
Yes
What is the exposure time to a virus during elite soccer matches?
During elite soccer matches, players are exposed to an infected player for an average of 87.8 seconds per match.
Minimal match exposure may imply low transmission risk during play; leaves open prospective validation for infection modeling in contact sports.
In the present study, the exposure to virus during soccer matches is calculated. Tracking data from 14 elite matches was used. One player in each match was carrying a virus. The exposure score (measured in seconds) was calculated as time spent closer than 1.5m from the infected player or time spent in an exponentially declining zone where the infected player was positioned earlier. The results reveal that, on average, each player was exposed for 87.8s per match.
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Knudsen et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Virus exposure. Presence of one infected player on the field was evaluated on Mean exposure time per 90 minutes (seconds) (95% CI 87.0-89.6). During a 90-minute elite soccer match with one infected player, the average exposure time for each player was 87.8 seconds.
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