The National Games of China as a governance instrument in Chinese elite sport: an institutional and agency analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe National Games of China (NGC) are a large multisport event with approximately 10,000 athletes representing regional teams and competing in 350 contests in more than 30 sport disciplines. The NGC are sometimes called the ‘Olympic Games of China’ because of their comparable format and high national recognition. However, the foreign media and the international research community have not taken sufficient notice of this unique sporting event. This article is the first in the international literature to focus on the NGC by pursuing a twofold research question and aim: (1) to analyse the institutional relationships between the General Administration of Sport (GAS) and the Provincial Sport Bureaus (PSB) within Chinese elite sport policy and (2) to assess how the NGC contribute to the coordination of these public sport governing bodies. The study adopts a socioeconomic approach to institutional efficiency analysis and relies on a thematic analysis of nineteen national academic articles in Mandarin and complementary documents. A key element of this approach is an agency analysis of the relationships among sport governing bodies. Notably, the strong emphasis on medal counts at the NGC in the incentive scheme of the PSB is found to induce unintended outcomes. The development of young talent and amateur sport is disincentivised, while manipulation is incentivised. Despite national criticism, the NGC are not found to be responsible for these negative outcomes and are recommended to be maintained. However, Chinese elite sport policy is encouraged to reform its monitoring system based on multidimensional criteria.