The team is engaged in a historical reflection on the development of sports within the broader context of society’s political, cultural, and economic evolution. Its primary focus is on the era of communist dictatorship. During this period, for reasons related to national defense, domestic politics, foreign policy, and ideology, sports were among the most favored and closely watched aspects of social life. The team will also examine the development of education for physical education teachers and coaches. Its members will also address the evolution of physical exercise content and the extent to which it serves as inspiration for the present and future of school physical education.

The team approaches sports and physical activity from an interdisciplinary perspective within the humanities, primarily psychology and sociology. Specifically, as part of its longitudinal research, it examines, for example, the relationship between motivation for physical education and cognitive strategies. It also studies social perception—for example, whether we can identify successful competitors among others based on acoustic, morphological, and olfactory cues. From the perspective of the sociology of sport, the team focuses, for example, on researching the attitudes of Roma people toward participation in physical activities and their perception of potential barriers preventing their participation.

The team works within the framework of analytical philosophy applied to sports, which focuses primarily on the concept of sports, the determination of its nature, and its values. The most prominent topics of today’s discussion are the difference between sports and esports and the definition of “nature sports.” Most of the team’s research focuses on sport in its narrower definition of competitive sport, which we define as an institutionalized, rule-bound competition in which athletes’ motor skills are compared, with Olympic sports serving as the primary example. Because rules provide sport with a quasi-legal framework, we address issues of fairness and justice. In particular, we focus on eligibility rules. We are thus addressing today’s sensitive debate regarding the eligibility of transgender women to compete in women’s categories, as well as questions concerning gender categories (e.g., the possibility of unisex sports), weight classes, and categorization in parasports. We also address the ethical issues that the competitive nature of sport inevitably brings with it, such as attempts to cheat, influence matches (match-fixing), or use various forms of violence.

The team’s goal is to analyze the economic and social conditions of sports and to gain new insights that enable the successful management of sports organizations in terms of organizing and operating sports activities in both professional and amateur sports. The areas of research build on current trends in the social sciences and reflect the needs of the labor market. The topics under investigation include, in particular, crisis management in sports organizations, the roles, functions, and competencies of managers in sports organizations, migration in sports, marketing communication of sports organizations, and sports governance.

Throughout the duration of our Cooperatia panel, our research activities are divided into two main pillars. Within the first pillar, we focus on investigating the relationships between selected motor constructs (physical activity, basic motor skills, motor competencies, physical fitness) and cognitive functions in preschool and early school-age children. The goal is to identify the direct and mediating effects of each selected motor construct on individual components of cognitive functions in preschool and school-age children. The second pillar involves investigating the influence of biological maturation on morpho-functional development in young athletes, with a focus on ice hockey. The goal is to identify developmental trends and critical points for applying bio-banding principles, as well as to create a simple screening tool for coaches to categorize athletes based on their current biological maturation.

Our team focuses primarily on physical education, which we view as a very important school subject with a significant impact on the development of younger generations across various aspects of human life. However, despite its importance, physical education is often perceived by society as a marginal subject, which can diminish its actual value. For this reason, we are addressing several core research topics. One of them is the success of implementing the physical education curriculum at various types and levels of schools; another topic is the social status of physical education and its practitioners among different population groups. We also address the issues of inclusion in physical education and the phenomenon of exemption from physical education as key topics. Last but not least, we focus on the attitudes of students and the public toward sports and other physical activities, as these strongly influence the perception and status of physical education.

The research team focuses broadly on issues related to the elderly population and on research topics concerning physical activity among people with specific needs (PSN). Individual groups are engaged, for example, in verifying the effects of various exercise programs on the quality of life of selected groups, on adherence to physical activity, on postural stability in specific populations, as well as on motor skills in children with special needs or classification in para-sports, and other similar topics. The team’s research activities encompass all types of studies—randomized, cross-sectional, as well as systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

The research team studies mechanical interactions during human movement and their impact on movement quality and adaptation to physical stress. It also focuses on the musculoskeletal system’s readiness to perform various activities and how this is influenced by training or a lack of physical readiness. The team uses biomechanical measurements in field conditions and designs movement interventions to enhance performance and prevent injuries. These activities are monitored using innovative technologies, including wearable sensors.

Our team uses methods of applied physiology to assess the biological prerequisites for athletic performance, monitor fatigue and recovery, evaluate the effectiveness of ergogenic substances, and optimize physical conditioning for various population groups. It turns out that many recovery methods or training tools used in modern sports are based purely on subjective judgment without sufficient scientific support. At the same time, many simple stimulation methods for enhancing performance remain on the periphery of both scientific interest and sports practice. Another equally important area is assessing the impact of the surrounding environment on athletic performance and monitoring environmental influences on physical and mental health during physical activities.

The research team focuses on investigating the biochemical manifestations and genetic mechanisms associated with physical and therapeutic activity. Research activities are centered on the body’s response to an individual’s physical activity, as well as the effects of controlled and planned physical activity on hormone production and circadian rhythms. Furthermore, the team focuses on studying the interactions between dietary supplements and biologically active substances, as well as the development of suitable analytical methods and techniques for determining biochemical and genetic markers.

The research team’s primary objective is to address scientific issues in the field of physical conditioning and rehabilitation interventions with the aim of optimizing athletic performance. The research team focuses on analyzing athletic performance and its determinants as reflected in the physical conditioning parameters of athletes and athletically talented youth. Research activities focus on ways to stimulate fitness prerequisites, their objectification using technological and software tools, and the study of determinants of limiting factors in athletic performance as reflected in fitness prerequisites and rehabilitation interventions. The research team also addresses issues related to athlete workload and the adjustment of “load management” (operational, short-term, and long-term planning, periodization, tapering, priming) with the aim of enhancing athletic performance. Last but not least, the research team addresses the issue of the impact of fatigue (acute, chronic) on changes in athletic performance in relation to physical fitness capabilities and the prediction of injuries in athletes based on physical fitness and morphological indicators.

The team’s research objective is to describe the clinical condition and specific changes that illustrate the impact of therapeutic or exercise interventions in a specific population (children, seniors, pregnant women, soldiers, or athletes) or patient group. The team focuses on treatment and prevention, with an emphasis on lifestyle-related diseases, specific patient groups, or populations, always with a focus on the possibility of objectively measuring the processes accompanying physical activity or kinesiotherapy interventions.