You have probably noticed that the number of people you come across in your sporting activities has increased compared to the pre-COVID-19 era. Several studies have been carried out in Portugal and abroad to justify these figures.

According to a study by the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ), in 2020, 45% of people who previously did not practice any kind of sport started doing so during the first lockdown in 2020. The study also reported a 2% increase in the proportion of the population who said they practiced sports activities, reaching 72% of the national total.

When asked about their preferred type of exercise, 20% of respondents said they preferred outdoor walks.

Covid-19 has had a major impact on sport, with the closure of gyms and the suspension of team sports and indoor individual sports. Although some sports can now be practised again, the pandemic has changed people’s sporting habits, increasing the number of people who practise outdoor sports.

During the first lockdown, the increase in running and walking was due to the fact that outdoor exercise was one of the few reasons authorised by law for going outside. However, for most people who adopted this lifestyle, even with the return to normality, they have continued with the same sporting habits.

Walkways and trails are increasingly becoming the choice of the population for outdoor activities, as they ally the practice of sports with contact with nature. The sports activities of choice include hiking, various running sports, cycling, water sports and beach sports.

One of the reasons for this increase during the COVID-19 pandemic is that people are afraid of contact with others and of being in enclosed spaces. In outdoor sports, there is less contact between athletes, as most are individual sports, and the fact that they are practised outdoors allows for greater air circulation and conveys a greater sense of safety to the population.

The COVID-19 pandemic has no end in sight, and so we need to adapt to this new reality. It is hoped that sport, particularly outdoor sport, will become an increasingly important part of people’s lives and that Portugal will become a more active country.