International Sports Federations Research Articles

Olympic Ideals and the Limitations of Liberal Protest

Idealist rhetoric has served the interests of all players in the Olympic industry for more than a century, and continues to do so, despite global resistance campaigns and indisputable evidence of the International Olympic Committee’s self-serving hypocrisy. Much of this rhetoric has its origins in nineteenth-century Europe, as expressed by Coubertin, the founder of the modern games. In Western democracies, propaganda that invokes Olympic ideals and values floods the media, the school system, and even the academy. Many liberal critics have relied on idealist arguments, apparently in an attempt to appeal to Olympic leaders’ and sponsors’ sense of decency and commitment to the moral principles embedded in the Olympic Charter. However, reliance on idealism has become so exploited and tainted by Olympic industry leaders that its use is both unwise and ineffective. History has shown that these principles have repeatedly been ignored by the IOC, national Olympic committees, international sports federations, bid and organizing committees, and athletes. A more productive approach to Olympic protest calls for politicians and business leaders in bid and host cities to assess all the economic, social, and environmental costs associated with hosting the games.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INJURIES IN POLE SPORTS: EMERGING CHALLENGES IN A NEW TREND

BackgroundPole sports, such as pole dancing, are recently gaining popularity as a form of fitness, combining dance and acrobatics. Many new, recreational athletes are joining pole sports every year. According...

Особенности сочетания социальных и экономических черт в современном подходе к управлению в области спорта

The management in sport is usually associated with a number of aspects and features of administration, adopted in national and international sports federations and organizations, but also in the past decades, sports management in most countries entirely absorbed the sphere of sports marketing. The development of sports business is associated with the marketing principle of customer-orientation, with an offer of expanded service package to the audience, with improving the quality of sports and entertainment services to viewers. Widespread use of sponsorship for the financing of sports and the application of marketing technologies for the organization of spectator flows suggests the formation of modern management concepts in the area of professional sport, which is based on a sports business (provision of recreational and sports entertainment services on a commercial basis). The paper concludes that sports business in professional sport and its elements in the sphere of amateur Olympic sports is formed by a combination of the two major levels or components - competition process of professional athletesand the organization of spectacular entertainment side of sports events. The paper distinguishes and describes seven key characteristics that reflect the actual combination of social and economic characteristics of sport management.

Illuminating Centralized Users in the Social Media Ego Network of Two National Sport Organizations

The purpose of this study was to examine national sport organizations’ (NSOs’) social networks on Twitter to explore followership between users, thereby illuminating powerful and central actors in a digital environment. Using a stratified, convenience sample, followership between the ego (i.e., NSO) and its alters (i.e., stakeholders) were noted in square, one-mode sociomatrices for the Fencing Canada (381 × 381) and Luge Canada (1026 × 1026) networks on Twitter. Using social network analysis to analyze the data for network density, average ties, Bonacich beta centrality, and core–periphery structure, the results indicate fans, elite athletes, photographers, competing sport organizations, and local clubs are some of the key stakeholders with large amounts of power. Though salient users, such as sponsors and international sport federations, are also present in the network core, NSOs seem better able to increase visibility of their content by targeting smaller scale users. The findings imply managers may wish to reflect upon how these advantaged users can be incorporated into their social communication strategies and how scholarship should continue examining followership as well as content in online settings.

Research priorities of international sporting federations and the IOC research centres

Background/aimTo be fully effective, the prevention of injury in sport and promotion of athlete's health needs to be both targeted and underpinned by scientific evidence. This study aimed to identify...

Contexts and conditions for a level playing field: Elite athletes’ perspectives on anti-doping in practice

The implementation of global anti-doping regulations was intended to provide a level playing field for all athletes entering sports competitions. However, studies have shown that the worldwide harmonization of rules has not been entirely efficacious. For instance, great variation has been found in how anti-doping organizations implement anti-doping regulations, and it has also been shown that athletes distrust the equivalence of the worldwide rules as regards their effects. The purpose of the present article is to examine how elite athletes from different contexts experience anti-doping procedures and to analyse the legitimacy of anti-doping practice. In order to capture a variety of voices and perspectives, 13 elite athletes from five different continents and three international sports federations were interviewed. The analysis shows that when global anti-doping policy is implemented in different contexts and under different conditions, inequities and structural injustices emerge concerning infrastructure, knowledge and support at the individual athlete level. These consequences may have implications for the legitimacy of anti-doping work, because the existence of procedural justice may be called into question. We therefore suggest that anti-doping policy-making should be based on taking into account these different conditions and being aware of the perspectives that underpin regulations intended to be applied global.

Physical activity—time to take it seriously and regularly

Physical activity—time to take it seriously and regularly

Gender equality in sport for improved public health

In the 2016 Lancet Series on physical activity, published to coincide with the 2016 Rio Olympics, authors consider developments in our understanding of relations between physical activity and human health since the 2012 Olympic Games in London. One notable event for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in this quadrennium was the adoption of their Olympic Agenda 2020, which reaffirms the IOC commitment to work with International Sports Federations and National Olympic Committees, as well as the UN, to increase the participation of girls and women in sport. The goal is for 50% of Olympic participants to be women by 2020.

Update on the global pandemic of physical inactivity

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major burden worldwide. Health behaviours such as tobacco cessation, healthy dietary choices, and low alcohol consumption have all proven effective in the prevention and treatment of NCDs; however, less global attention has been given to the importance of an active lifestyle for disease prevention. In 2012, The Lancet published its first Series on physical activity, which increased awareness of the importance of physical activity in the prevention of NCDs, with a special emphasis on low-income and middle-income countries. 1 Lee IM Shiroma EJ Lobelo F Puska P Blair SN Katzmarzyk PT Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet. 2012; 380: 219-229 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (5059) Google Scholar But there is still a long way to go before physical activity is an equal partner in recommended preventive strategies for NCDs—from the government level down to the physician's practice. Physical activity—time to take it seriously and regularlyIn 1994, the epidemiologist Jerry Morris described physical activity as the “best buy” in public health.1 In 2012, The Lancet published its first Series on physical activity, which showed an estimated 5·3 million deaths per year are due to inactivity; the Series concluded that physical inactivity is as important a modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases as obesity and tobacco.2 Today, we publish our second Series, which provides an update of the field since 2012 and an analysis of the latest science of physical activity and health, with a strong focus on low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Full-Text PDF Renewing commitments to physical activity targets in ThailandThe Lancet 2016 Series on physical activity provides global evidence on how physical activity contributes to healthy nations through primary prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), a growing epidemic.1–4 The Series presents compelling evidence on the benefits of physical activity not only for health, but also for social, environmental, and economic outcomes.2,5 Full-Text PDF Gender equality in sport for improved public healthIn the 2016 Lancet Series on physical activity,1–4 published to coincide with the 2016 Rio Olympics, authors consider developments in our understanding of relations between physical activity and human health since the 2012 Olympic Games in London. One notable event for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in this quadrennium was the adoption of their Olympic Agenda 2020, which reaffirms the IOC commitment to work with International Sports Federations and National Olympic Committees, as well as the UN, to increase the participation of girls and women in sport. Full-Text PDF Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and womenHigh levels of moderate intensity physical activity (ie, about 60–75 min per day) seem to eliminate the increased risk of death associated with high sitting time. However, this high activity level attenuates, but does not eliminate the increased risk associated with high TV-viewing time. These results provide further evidence on the benefits of physical activity, particularly in societies where increasing numbers of people have to sit for long hours for work and may also inform future public health recommendations. Full-Text PDF The economic burden of physical inactivity: a global analysis of major non-communicable diseasesIn addition to morbidity and premature mortality, physical inactivity is responsible for a substantial economic burden. This paper provides further justification to prioritise promotion of regular physical activity worldwide as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce non-communicable diseases. Full-Text PDF Progress in physical activity over the Olympic quadrenniumOn the eve of the 2012 summer Olympic Games, the first Lancet Series on physical activity established that physical inactivity was a global pandemic, and global public health action was urgently needed. The present paper summarises progress on the topics covered in the first Series. In the past 4 years, more countries have been monitoring the prevalence of physical inactivity, although evidence of any improvements in prevalence is still scarce. According to emerging evidence on brain health, physical inactivity accounts for about 3·8% of cases of dementia worldwide. Full-Text PDF Scaling up physical activity interventions worldwide: stepping up to larger and smarter approaches to get people movingThe global pandemic of physical inactivity requires a multisectoral, multidisciplinary public-health response. Scaling up interventions that are capable of increasing levels of physical activity in populations across the varying cultural, geographic, social, and economic contexts worldwide is challenging, but feasible. In this paper, we review the factors that could help to achieve this. We use a mixed-methods approach to comprehensively examine these factors, drawing on the best available evidence from both evidence-to-practice and practice-to-evidence methods. Full-Text PDF

Is There a Global Sports Law?

How can international sporting federations be regulated by law? This question is analytically dependent on a narrower question, whether there is a definable concept called international sports law. This article distinguishes between ‘international sports law’ and ‘global sports law’. International sports law can be applied by national courts. Global sports law by contrast implies a claim of immunity from national law. Conceptually, it is a cloak for continued self-regulation by international sports federations and a claim for non-intervention by national legal systems and by international sports law. It thus opposes a rule of law in regulating international sport.

<i>Lex Sportiva</i> and <i>Lex Ludica</i>: the Court Of Arbitration for Sport’s Jurisprudence

What does the jurisprudence of the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) reveal about international sports law? It is claimed that CAS applies lex sportiva; distinct universal legal principles of sports law. I argue that lex sportiva is an imprecise term covering different concepts.The awards of CAS are studied and it is argued that five different legal principles are employed: a lex ludica, good governance, procedural fairness, harmonisation of standards between international sporting federations and equitable treatment. These principles are then explained and illustrated by reference to arbitration awards of CAS. It is concluded from this case law that CAS has several functions and that its work could fit various models of adjudication. Each of these functions corresponds to a different legal model of its purpose and in turn to one of the five jurisprudential principles explained in the article.CAS needs to recognise that it has different functions. The danger is that it will be seen solely as part of the private regulatory power of international sporting federations. The imposition of mandatory arbitration by sporting federations may then appear to be a method of avoiding proper legal processes and standards.

Anti-doping and legitimacy: an international survey of elite athletes’ perceptions

ABSTRACTAnti-doping work is a comprehensive enterprise that entails control and governance of elite athletes’ everyday lives. However, in policy-making regarding doping and anti-doping in elite sports, the athletes’ perspective has not been considered adequately. Focusing on elite athletes’ perceptions of anti-doping as both principle and praxis, the study aimed to analyse how these perceptions can be understood from a legitimacy perspective. A survey study involving 261 elite athletes from 51 different countries and four international sports federations was conducted. The results showed that the athletes did not question the legitimacy of the rules, but had concerns about the legitimacy of the way the rules and principles are enforced in practice, specifically with regard to matters of privacy, lack of efficiency and equal conditions as well as athletes’ involvement in the anti-doping work. The article describes how athletes’ perceptions of the legitimacy of anti-doping work constitute the basis for their willingness to follow regulations as well as a precondition for the work’s functionality and stability. In light of this finding, the article calls for the empowerment of athletes in anti-doping work.

Effect of Strategic Planning on Annual Income of National Sports Federations in Kenya

Strategic Planning has been linked to improved financial performance of International Sport Federations. The general low annual income of the National Sports Federations (NSFs) in Kenya which has frustrated development of sport industry raises a number of issues regarding integration of strategic planning in their management. This paper looks at the effect of strategic planning on annual income of NSFs in Kenya. The paper was guided by descriptive and correlation research design. A Population of 156 officials from 39 NSFs was targeted and 111 respondents randomly sampled using Fisher’s model. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics involving mean, standard deviations and frequencies were run. Multiple regression analysis was employed to determine the effect of strategic planning on annual income. The study established that there was low integration of strategic planning practices among NSFs which could be responsible for their annual income deficits posted over the years. However, significant positive linear relationship was established between the different strategic planning components and annual income at (p < 0.05, R2 =0.626) implying Strategic Planning has a positive and significant influence on annual income with a variance of 62.6 %. It was recommended that increased integration of strategic planning could lead to significant improvement of annual income among NSFs in Kenya.

Sporting Relations: Diplomacy, Small States, and Germany’s Post-war Return to International Sport

ABSTRACTGermany’s post-war return to international sport was not uniform across all federations. The nature of each sport—summer versus winter, team versus individual—influenced the speed with which each international sport federation dealt with the issue of Germany’s return. Some federations allowed German participation even before they formally re-admitted the country to federation membership. However, sporting relations were not the only issue considered by international federations. The historical political relations between Germany and its smaller European neighbours were as important. The combination of the historical relationship amongst European states—especially memories of the Second World War—and internal sport federation dynamics affected state relations within the broader international system. The actions taken by the international sport federations provided examples—in areas that would not result in another world war or destroy Western alliances—of how Germany could return as a full member of the international community. The debates regarding Germany’s return across a number of international sport federations reveal the complex interaction among memory, politics, and practical matters.

Prévention des blessures en athlétisme : démarche scientifique par application du modèle de van Mechelen en quatre étapes

The prevention of athletic injuries is a major challenge for international and national sports federations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the European Athletics (EAA) and the Federation of French Athletics (FFA). Following the four-step scientific sequence of van Mechelen et al., we described the state of knowledge on athletic injury prevention, particularly on the basis of work carried out and/or promoted by the IAAF, the EAA and the FFA. The vast majority of studies, and thus knowledge, relates to the epidemiology of injuries (step 1), although more studies should be conducted in this area in order to have a more comprehensive knowledge. It shows that athletes mainly suffered from thigh muscle injuries and especially hamstring, Achilles tendinopathies, knee overuse injuries, ankle sprains and low back pain; the risk varied with sex and discipline. Knowledge about the mechanisms and risk factors of athletic injuries is still limited, although a first episode of injury, male gender, increasing age, certain disciplines of athletics, appeared to be injury factors risk. Efforts for understanding the mechanisms and risk factors therefore must be continued and focused primarily on the most frequent and/or severe injury. Various prevention measures and/or strategies have been devised and proposed specific to certain injuries or more general on all injuries, physical conditioning, technical gesture, lifestyle, psychological care, equipment, coordinated care. However, to date and to our knowledge, none of these prevention measures and/or strategies have been scientifically validated for its effectiveness for athletics. This clearly represents a relevant direction to follow and develop in the process of prevention of athletic injuries.

Paving the Olympic Dream: The Politics of the 2007 Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro

The making of the 2007 Pan-American Games, held in the city of Rio de Janeiro, marked the beginning of the long transformation that this city would undergo in connection to sports mega-events. This paper revisits how the 2007 Pan-American Games were largely produced under the promise that its legacies, particularly the infrastructural ones, could be effectively mobilized in order to strengthen the chances of bringing the Olympics to Brazil for the first time. Whereas this rhetoric has proven somewhat successful in helping the city to secure the right to host the 2016 Olympics, the alleged connection between both events has shown to be much more limited than its proponents had initially advertized. In reality, most of the venues constructed for the Pan-American Games had to be thoroughly renovated for the Olympics, while some of them presented structural problems and/or failed to meet the standards imposed by international sports federations.

Young people and sport: from participation to the Olympics – introduction to the special issue

The aim of this paper is to provide a context for the contributions which follow in this special issue. Attention is drawn to the range of possible motives for the increase in interest in youth sport evinced by a selection of major stakeholders including international sport federations, domestic federations and event organizers. The paper draws attention to the changing relationship between young people and sport where the former are seen increasingly as a resource to help meet the organizational objectives of the latter. The paper concludes with a summary of, and commentary on, the nine papers in the special issue.

Professionalisation of sport federations – a multi-level framework for analysing forms, causes and consequences

Research question: International and national sport federations as well as their member organisations are key actors within the sport system and have a wide range of relationships outside the sport system (e.g. with the state, sponsors, and the media). They are currently facing major challenges such as growing competition in top-level sports, democratisation of sports with ‘sports for all’ and sports as the answer to social problems. In this context, professionalising sport organisations seems to be an appropriate strategy to face these challenges and current problems. We define the professionalisation of sport organisations as an organisational process of transformation leading towards organisational rationalisation, efficiency and business-like management. This has led to a profound organisational change, particularly within sport federations, characterised by the strengthening of institutional management (managerialism) and the implementation of efficiency-based management instruments and paid staff.Research methods: The goal of this article is to review the current international literature and establish a global understanding of and theoretical framework for analysing why and how sport organisations professionalise and what consequences this may have.Results and findings: Our multi-level approach based on the social theory of action integrates the current concepts for analysing professionalisation in sport federations. We specify the framework for the following research perspectives: (1) forms, (2) causes and (3) consequences, and discuss the reciprocal relations between sport federations and their member organisations in this context.Implications: Finally, we work out a research agenda and derive general methodological consequences for the investigation of professionalisation processes in sport organisations.

Economic Overview of Major Sporting Events in the Czech Republic in 2015

In 2015 two major sporting events take place in the Czech Republic. 2015 IIHF World Championship will take place with the participation of sixteen teams from 1st to 17th May 2015. Czech Republic will host the event with games will be played in Prague and Ostrava. UEFA European Under-21 Championship the final tournament will be hosted in the Czech Republic from 17th to 30th June 2015. The matches of the tournament will be played in Prague, Olomouc and Uherske Hradistě. According to the theories major sporting events leave economic impacts on local economies. Sporting events make new job positions for people who organize the tournament. Sporting events attract lot of tourists, who spend money for accommodation, transportation, entertainment, tickets and retail. There are presented several economical impact studies which there made for such events in previous years and countries. International sporting events attract sponsor awareness and media attention which is also very important in promoting the Czech Republic as the touristic destination. The research paper focuses on overview of economic impacts of these sporting events which take part in the Czech Republic in 2015. The economic impacts are divided into three categories. Firstly there are economic impacts for sports federations – Czech Ice Hockey Federation (CSLH) and Football Association of the Czech Republic (FACR). Secondly there are economic impacts for hosting cities – Prague, Ostrava, Olomouc and Uherske Hradistě. Finally there are impacts for the whole Czech Republic. On the side of the costs there are expenditures of public budgets on football stadium investment and infrastructure, costs of organization of the event – staffing, renting the facilities, security, logistic, marketing, media operations and other costs. On the side of revenues of the event there are TV rights, international and local sponsors, contribution of international sports federations, contribution of local or state public budgets, ticket sales and other revenues.

Організаційна структура та основні функції діяльності Міжнародного конвенту «СпортАккорд»

Purpose: to define and determine the basic functions of International convention “SportAссord” activity within the framework of international sport movement. Materials and methods: 21 literary sources have been analyzed. Results: International convention “SportAссord” is a nongovernmental sport organization, which unites, supports, coordinates and protects international sport federations and organizations in the international sport movement. “SportAссord” does its activities in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1296 (XLIV), provisions of the International Olympic Charter and Code of Ethics, grounding on World Anti-Doping Code. The president is the head of administrative office, with the departments and board of executive body under control. General Assembly is the supreme authority, which carries out the range of basic tasks and grants authority to the management of “SportAccord” and its members for them to fulfill general and special functions. Conclusions: the International convention “SportAccord” activity is aimed at carrying out tasks by fulfilling general and special functions on the basis of international and internal legal documents.