Several studies have demonstrated that athletes show superior performance in general cognitive functions compared to non-athletes. However, the effects on cognitive function might vary depending on the athlete`s sport type. In athletes, the visuospatial working memory is a crucial function for immediate response to each situation and experience. However, no studies have yet examined the association between visuospatial working memory and sport types. This study aimed to investigate whether sport type influences the differences in visuospatial working memory in athletes using a cross-sectional study. A total of 67 young individuals, including 59 athletes (long-distance running, tennis, kendo, and soccer players) and eight non-athletes (controls), participated in the study. Athletes were classified into static, interceptive, or strategic depending on their sport type. The reaction time, accuracy, and balanced integration score (BIS) of the spatial working memory task (SWMT) were examined in all participants. Strategic athletes showed a shorter reaction time and higher BIS value of SWMT than static athletes and non-athletes. We concluded that the visuospatial working memory of strategic athletes was better than that of non-athletes and static athletes. This finding suggests that visuospatial working memory might play an important role in determining athletic performance in strategic sport types, making improved visuospatial working memory a key advantage for strategic athletes.
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