Editorial: Exercise and Transplant Sport -The journey to a more active life 1 2

Mike James Price ^1* Gareth Wiltshire ² Roseanne Billany ³ Tania Janaudis-Ferreira ⁴

• ¹ Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom
• ² Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
• ³ University of Leicester, Leicester, East Midlands, United Kingdom
• ⁴ McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The goal of this special issue was to further our knowledge of exercise related responses in 13 organ-recipients from rehabilitation to competitive sport. The studies presented indeed reflect 14 our aim considering organ recipients over the first 12 months post-transplantation (Vecchiato et 15 al, 2024) to those competing nationally and internationally (Hames et al, 2024) and the support 16 received at such events (Duncan et al, 2024). Furthermore, the impact of high intensity training 17 was reviewed (Kayeye et al, 2024) and the utility of web-based exercise and training resources 18(Da Silva et al, 2024) and telehealth monitoring (Vecchiato et al, 2024) joy, hope and celebration of life to the complex interplay between gratitude and guilt, an aspect 69 that is not generally experienced in other competitions. With the health vulnerabilities of the 70 population, the service placed well-being first and performance second, with priority given to 71 listening to athletes' stories. The resultant emotional experiences of the group and emotional 72 labour of the Games placed considerable importance on peer supervision. Practical aspects of 73 signposting, access to the service and finding a quiet space for consultations at a live event 74were highlighted. For trainees the service provided an opportunity to work with a broader client 75 base than may usually be experienced. However, this re-emphasises the need for greater 76 resources, for athletes, early career practitioners and those new to working with organ 77 recipients, enabling volunteers to be fully prepared for supporting all involved. 78The need for clear educational resources is addressed by Da Silva et al (2024) in examining 79 online content and quality of website and video resources relating to physical activity, with a 80 focus on promoting engagement and adherence to activity post-transplant. Of the 49 resources 81 included, most were of low quality, understandability and actionability. More comprehensive 82 content scores were noted for resources from Foundations and advocacy websites than for 83 scientific organisations and news/media articles. Importantly, balanced and unbiased 84 information was frequently observed, although only the minority of sources discussed safety 85 and educational aspects, lacking in additional resources for reference. 86Overall, the studies comprising this special issue have demonstrated diverse interdisciplinary 87 work, utilising collaborative partnerships across aspects of applied research and practice. As practitioners and researchers in this area, we are responsible not only for ensuring integration of 89 this research into practice, but also facilitating future, truly international collaborations. The ball 90 is firmly in our court to enhance such developments as well as high quality resources for organ 91 recipients and those professionals beginning their practice journey within this population. 92 93 94