Exploring Congruence in Global Sport Governance between Environmental Policy and Practice

Abstract

Global sport governance and environmental sustainability is a novel topic in the academic literature. This paper explores global sport governance with respect to the congruence exhibited between website disclosures of environmental policy and the implementation in practice by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). Congruence is noted as a requirement for success. To begin, this paper discusses the notions of global sport governance, environmental policy and governance, and congruence for environmental sustainability. Next, content analysis is used to explore the various environmental disclosures and initiatives by the ASOIF. The results provide evidence of the environmental governance conducted by the sport organizations. A total of 44% of the organizations under study did not report any environmental disclosures or initiatives; however, the majority supported the growth of environmental action by sport with disclosures on their websites. The results outline the current achievements with respect to congruence through three key elements, including formulated strategies, policy development, and implementation, which are noted as leading to successful environmental sustainability. This study offers a baseline concerning the status of these international sport organizations and the pursuit of environmental sustainability.