Table 1. Population, exposure, comparison, outcome and study design framework.

Item	Specification
Participants, population of interest	Human competitive athletes (from the start of adolescence onwards (ie, age 10 and older as per the WHO) of any sex, athletic status, competition level or type of sport)
Exposure(s)	Sports participation at any competition level (eg, trained/developmental, highly trained/national level, elite/international level, world-class (ie, tier 2 and above)24)
Comparison(s), control	Individuals who did not participate in sports or athletic activities
Outcome(s) of interest	Primary: step counts, daily activity across the intensity spectrum (ie, sedentary, light, moderate and vigorous PA), METs, whole-day EESecondary: additional accelerometry measures of PA levels and activity patterns (eg, median bout duration of SB or PA, timing of activity accumulation), self-reported PA, adherence to PA guidelines, exercise frequency/volume
Study designs	Cross-sectional, longitudinal, case-control, case series or clinical trials

EE, energy expenditure; METs, metabolic equivalents of task; MVPA, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; PA, physical activitySB, sedentary behaviour