Municipal Sports Research Articles

Factors associated with use of active transport in users of HEVS Program of Ministry of Sports

Abstract Background Sedentary behavior and physical inactivity are associated with an increased risk of chronic disease and mortality. Studies have shown the benefits of active transport to reduce NCDs. In Colombia, studies have been developed to determine the factors associated with the use of active transport, in cities such as Bogota but not nationally, therefore, this study seeks to determine the factors associated with the use of active transport in users of the National Program of Habits and Healthy Lifestyle (HEVS) led by the Ministry of Sport of Colombia in partnership with municipal sports and departmental. Methods The research presented a quantitative approach on a retrospective basis. The population consisted of 75,086 users of the HEVS program in 2019, over 18 years old (average = 44.04 and D.E. = 15.75 years old) of which 87.7% were women. For the statistical analysis a forward logistic regression model was carried out, with the dependent variable: active transport use (0 = no active transport use and 1 = active transport use). Results 41.6% of 75086 participants reported using active transport, corresponding to 31,211. Regular users, who attend physical activity programs 3 times a week, report a higher probability of using active transport OR = 1.38 (95% CI 1.31 to 1.45), compared to those who attend less than 3 times a week. Being female represents a greater probability of using active transport compared to men, OR = 1.39 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.47), those who add salt to food are also more likely to use active transport than those who do not add, OR = 2.04 (95% CI 1.92 to 2.26) and in terms of physical activity, those who meet the minimum recommendations in minutes a week use active transport more likely than those who do not comply, OR = 1.49 (95% CI 1.4 to 1.6). Conclusions Using active transport is associated with greater compliance with weekly physical activity recommendations. Women are more likely to use active transport just like people who add salt to food. Key messages • In order to reduce NCDs in the Colombian population, walking or cycling is proposed because it is associated with a greater probability of compliance with weekly physical activity recommendations. • Formulating public policies in Colombia that encourage the use of active transport would contribute to meeting weekly physical activity requirements.

The profile of the brazilian municipal sports manager

This study aims to identify the profile of the public sports manager working at the municipal level in different Brazilian states. The Northeast, Centre-West, Southeast, and South regions were considered as the sample, through the states of Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Rio Grande do Norte, Santa Catarina, and Sergipe, for a total of 1.955 municipalities in this research. The analysis was based on data relating to the "Human Resources" axis of the Sports Management in States and Municipalities (GEEM) instrument. The results showed a predominance of males, differences in Race; Age; Schooling; Level of School; Remuneration, both for each state and each region of the country. The conclusion is that there is a need for the academic and professional training for public managers in the field of physical education, combined with sports management, in order to make public policies more effective, as well as the continuation of public service programmes independent of the region. Keywords: Management, Sport Management, Public Policy, Sports Manager, Profile Manager.

Development and validation of a measurement tool for assessing municipal sports services in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

Drawing upon a literature review concerning the diagnosis, description, and evaluation of local sports, we formulated and validated a precise measurement instrument intended for characterizing the municipal sports services in the province of Buenos Aires (PBA), Argentina. The objective of the present study was to design and validate a measurement instrument for the characterisation of the municipal sports services of the PBA. We conducted a content validation process in two phases. In the first phase, the initial preliminary version of the instrument was reviewed and assessed by a panel of five experts, with a follow-up and adaptation by the research team. Afterwards, the final measurement instrument was evaluated by an expanded panel of 12 experts, showing high validity indexes (Aiken's V = 0.93) with figures greater than 0.9 in the lower extreme confidence intervals. In the second phase, to assess the reliability of the measurement instrument, a pilot study was carried out with 10 municipal sports offices from the PBA. Correlation coefficients of the test and retest responses greater than 0.9 were obtained, reflecting a high level of stability in the answers of the officials. The validated tool is a useful and reliable resource for managers of municipal sports services to operate with updated technical knowledge in decision-making. The instrument could be useful for the provincial authorities of the area, as it would allow to have a georeferenced characterisation of the sports supply and guide the local governments in the decision about sports interventions and the monitoring of the public sports service.

Determining the influence of anthropometric indices on balance parameters in young female gymnasts

Background and Study Aim. It is increasingly important to know the influence of age characteristics on the development of motor skills necessary for gymnastics. Currently, this influence is taken into consideration in the training of young female gymnasts. This study aims to determine the anthropometric indices impact on static and dynamic balance parameters in young female gymnasts. Material and Methods. A group of 24 young gymnasts, from the Arad Municipal Sports Club of Romania, participated in this study. The athletes, aged 6-10 years, were divided into two groups: G1 (6-8 years, n=17) and G2 (9-10 years, n=7). Anthropometric indices were measured by means of Tanita scale. The following indices were monitored: Height (cm), Weight (kg), FATP (%), FATM (kg), FFM (kg), BMI (kg/m2). Balance was evaluated with the Sensamove MiniBoard platform. There were used tests as follows: Static Bipedal Balance (SBB), Lateral Bipedal Balance (LBB) and Vertical Bipedal Balance (VBB). Measured parameters: performance (%); front and back inside (LBB, %); left and right inside (VBB, %); front and back avg. deviation (grade); left and right avg. deviation (degrees). The influence of anthropometric indices on balance parameters was determined using Pearson correlation coefficient. Results. The comparative analysis between groups highlights: average age; relation between weight and height; values of body composition indices. The comparative analysis shows better performances by 2.23% in G1 at SBB and values smaller by 0.35 degrees at average vertical deviations. LBB has better performances in G1 by 10.05% and higher values by 1.79% at keeping inside the vertical space. There is a smaller difference between Confidence Limit of Mean (CLM). As for VBB, the performances are better by 0.41% in G2, keeping inside the space to the left in G1 and to the right in G2. The correlation analysis regarding SB reveals 20% strong connections, 83.3% positive connections with performance and 45.8% negative ones with average deviations in G1. The following were noticed in G2: lack of strong connections, 33.3% positive connections and 25% negative influences. In terms of LBB, G1 has no strong connections, but it has 72.2% positive connections and 45.8% negative connections. G2 is characterized as follows: 7.1% strong connections, absence of positive connections, 75% - negative connections. VBB presents the following values in G1: 28.6% - strong connections and 45.8% - negative connections. G2 has 9.5% - strong connections, 94.4% - positive connections and 75% - negative ones. Conclusions. By determining the anthropometric indices, the age characteristics of female gymnasts were highlighted. The comparative analysis results of balance parameters reveal better performances and lower values at the average vertical and lateral deviations. Comparing the relationships between anthropometric indices and balance parameters reveals strong connections. It also shows the weight of positive and negative connections with performance, keeping inside the space and value of average deviations. These data can serve as methodological recommendations in future studies.

Physiotherapy In Primary Care: Piloting of A New Integrated Service 

Introduction: In recent years, the prevalence of osteoarticular pain in our society has been following an unstoppable upward curve, with a medium-term forecast that points to it as one of the major causes of disability. The approach to the treatment of these ailments from an exclusively biomedical model, far from resolving them, saturates the health services themselves and fails to add value to the health/disease experience of those who suffer from them.
 Objectives: To evaluate the implementation of a Physiotherapy service in Osakidetza Primary Care centers for the management of people suffering from osteoarticular pain.
 Material And Methods: As part of the corporative strategy delineated by Osakidetza for Pirmary Care, the aim was to introduce a new approach to osteoarticular pain based in an integral model using exercise as the instrument to maintain health and prevent relapses, empowering the person in the management of their process, in connection with the municipal sports services. Specifically, it is intended to refer patients from primary care family medicine professionals to physiotherapy, under an agreed treatment protocol and in coordination with the Rehabilitation Service. This process is based on a fundamentally educational approach, consisting in 10 sessions of 1 hour of duration, in groups of 8-10 people, carried out over 2 weeks each group, with specific exercises adapted to their pathology. The piloted evaluation of the program was conducted in 2 gyms located in 2 health centers serving the entire regional population of 312,000 inhabitants, between November 2018 to December 2021. 
 Results: The number of people assessed by 4 physiotherapists during the evaluation period was 4,175. Of these, 3,294 (79%)performed the treatment, 4% were referred to the hospital rehabilitation service after the assessment, 3% of the patients were returned to their Family Doctor due to inadequate referral and 17% refused treatment, in all cases due to the impossibility of reconciling work-family life. In accordance with the available evidence, the most frequent reason for consultation was back pain, in 72% of the cases. In 76% of the cases, the waiting time from the physical therapist's evaluation to access to the treatment was less than 1 month, being in all cases less than 2 months. After participation in the program, 81% of the users treated showed improvement in pain and/or functionality. Regarding satisfaction, 95% found the treatment useful and 100% would recommend the treatment to others, with an average satisfaction of 9.3 out of 10.
 Conclusions: The approach to non-specific back and shoulder pain in the context of primary care offers a service to the affectd citizens closer in time and space, with an effective resolution of the symptomatology and a highly valued patient experience. The physiotherapist, in addition to leading the whole process, is a key figure of integration between the two levels of care of Primary and Specialized Care. By resolving non-complex pathology in the primary care setting, more space is given to address more complex pathology in the hospital setting.

S9-3 Keep up -groups support fall prevention

Abstract Purpose In Finland one third of home dwelling older adults 70+ fall at least once a year. Falling causes injuries and suffering. The cost of one hip fracture is about 30 000 € on the first treatment year. Balance and functional training is effective in preventing falls. Half of hip fractures can be prevented by exercising. Project or policy description Development: Age Institute is a partner in Age-friendly South Karelia project coordinated by Wellbeing Services County of South Karelia. The project acts through a network with municipalities, NGO’s, congregations, and older people councils. Preventing falls became an important goal of project since the number of hip fractures was increasing and higher than the average in Finland. Several actions were developed: educating professionals, giving information to older people, and improving exercise groups. Implementation ‘Keep up’ exercise group for older adults with increased risk of falling was implemented in every municipality (9) of the county. The risk of falling was assessed using a screening questionnaire in health care centers or in events, where participants with high scores were guided to the groups. Municipal sport sector organized the strength and balance training group once a week. The participants were encouraged to do home exercise weekly. The groups also included discussion and tasks about falls prevention. Themes were e.g. nutrition, fear of falling, medication and safe environment. Age Institute made the material for the group. Evaluation SPPB test was made in the beginning and in the end of the 10 weeks training period. Majority of participants improved their physical performance. According to a questionnaire the participants perceived mostly good or strong benefits. Especially mood, strength, and knowledge of preventing falls improved. After the training period the participants were guided to continue exercising. Dissemination The municipalities continue to organize Keep up groups. The good practice will be disseminated to other municipalities and counties involved in Strength in Old Age Programme. Conclusions With multisectoral co-operation you can find older adults with increased risk of falling and guide them to exercise group. Strength and balance training combined with getting more knowledge is a feasible good practice.

ON THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE SPORTS RESERVE TRAINING SYSTEM AT THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL IN MODERN CONDITIONS

The article is devoted to the study of a topic that is of current importance for municipal sports schools that implement additional general educational programs in the field of physical culture and sports as their main activity. The harmonization of legislation on physical culture and sports and on education that has begun since 01/01/2023 is restructuring not only the form and content of the implemented sports reserve training programs, but also their financial support. In the absence of a unified point of view on the balance of changes in terms of harmonizing the legislation on physical culture and sports and education, a contradictory situation arose regarding the ratio of the stages of sports training with the powers of municipalities on local issues. The lack of a unified position on this issue gives rise to doubt and dissatisfaction among representatives of the leadership of local governments and the administrative and managerial apparatus of sports schools, turning into the formation of manic phobias. The authors, on the basis of study, come to the conclusion about the root causes of contradictions, possible options for the development of the current situation and ways for the further development of municipal physical culture and sports.

Rational Use of Energy in Sports Centres to Achieve Net Zero: The SAVE Project (Part A)

Sports centres constitute major energy consumers. This article presents the proposed energy performance upgrade process and the achieved results for the municipal sports centre in Arkalochori, Greece. The facility consists of a swimming pool centre, an outdoor 8 × 8 football court, and two tennis and basketball courts. It operates with considerably high energy consumption due to the lack of any measure towards its energy efficiency improvement since its initial construction in 2002. Due to the significantly high heating cost, the swimming pool centre remains operative only during the summer period. The energy performance upgrade of the facility was holistically approached through all possibly applicable passive and active measures: insulation of opaque surfaces and replacement of openings, construction of a new, bioclimatic enclosure for the swimming pool’s centre and conversion of the current outdoor facility to an indoor one, installation of heat pumps for indoor space conditioning and swimming pool heating, installation of a solar–combi system for domestic hot water production, upgrade of all indoor and outdoor lighting equipment and installation of a photovoltaic plant on the new enclosure’s roof for the compensation of the remaining electricity consumption. With the proposed measures, the municipal sports centre is upgraded to a zero energy facility. The payback period of the investment was calculated at 14 years on the basis of the avoided energy procurement cost. The swimming pool’s centre operation is prolonged during the entire annual period. This work has been funded by the Horizon 2020 project with the acronym “NESOI” and was awarded the public award of the “Islands Gamechanger” competition of the NESOI project and the Clean Energy for EU Islands initiative.

Relationships of BMI, muscle-to-fat ratio, and handgrip strength-to-BMI ratio to physical fitness in Spanish children and adolescents

This study aimed to determine the relationship of body mass index (BMI), muscle-to-fat ratio (MFR), and handgrip strength-to-BMI ratio to physical fitness parameters in an active young population according to sex across four different time points. A total of 2256 Spanish children and adolescents (aged 5–18) from rural areas participating in an extracurricular sport in different municipal sports schools participated in this study. Participants were divided into children (5–10 years) and adolescents (11–18 years), boys and girls, and across four different time points (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). Data on anthropometric measures (BMI, MFR, appendicular skeletal muscle mass) and physical fitness (handgrip strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and vertical jump) were collected. Boys who were overweight, but especially boys with obesity, had higher absolute handgrip strength in children and adolescents than their normal weight counterparts in 2020 and 2021. Boys and girls with normal weight presented higher cardiorespiratory fitness and vertical jump than their overweight and obese peers over the years. The MFR was directly correlated with the cardiorespiratory fitness and vertical jump variables, but not with handgrip strength, in boys and girls. The handgrip strength-to-BMI ratio in both sexes was positively correlated to the different physical fitness parameters. Conclusion: BMI, MFR, and handgrip strength-to-BMI can be used as health and physical fitness indicators in this population.What is Known:• BMI is the main indicator commonly used as a proxy for obesity for many years. Nevertheless, it cannot differentiate between fat mass and fat-free mass.• There are other indicators such as MFR and handgrip strength-to-BMI that might be more accurate and can serve to monitor the health and fitness of children and adolescents.What is New:• MFR showed a positive and significant correlation with cardiorespiratory fitness and vertical jump in both sexes. On the other hand, the handgrip strength-to-BMI presented a positive correlation with cardiorespiratory fitness, vertical jump, and handgrip strength.• The use of these indicators obtained through different parameters of body composition and physical fitness can serve as a tool to identify the relationships of the paediatric population with physical fitness.

The relationship between sport conceptions and the public policies of the sector in municipal management: an analysis from managers

The aim of this study was to identify the sports conceptions of municipal public managers and their interrelation with the actions promoted in the subfield of public sports policies. This is a qualitative, descriptive and field research, in which a semi-structured interview with municipal sports managers from a central micro-region of the state of Paraná / Brazil was applied. The data were categorized and analyzed using Content Analysis. The study shows that the concepts of sport are not compatible with the types of actions promoted by public institutions. It is inferred that in the habitus of agents within the subfield, there is, to a certain extent, the internalization of objective representations and traditional ways of doing politics in sport. This scenario implies weaknesses in regional sports development, due to the unilateral nature of the sector's policies, especially in the context of small municipalities, which to a certain extent, depend on local government initiatives.

Water Reuse in a Municipal Sports Center

Two potential measures for increasing water use efficiency in a municipal sports center were evaluated: (1) the reuse of water originating from showers in the flushing toilets in the indoor football court building; and (2) the reuse of water from swimming pool filter backwashing for irrigation. In the indoor football court building the total annual water consumption is around 3,500.5 m3 and from the showers is approximately 1,785.26 m3. Therefore, the greywater generated in showers can be reused in toilet flushing, which consumes about 840.12 m3 per year. The estimated annual water consumption for filter backwashing is 4,197.6 m3. The annual amount of water necessary for irrigating the lawn of the local football stadium is around 7,200 m³. Thus, the filter backwashed water, after being subjected to a sedimentation process, could be fully reused for this purpose.
 Keywords: water efficiency, water reuse, swimming pools filter backwashing reuse, sports center, sustainability

Letter of Artificial Sports Facilities of the Municipality of Oliveira do Bairro

The general objective of this study is to elaborate the Charter of Artificial Sports Facilities of the Municipality of Oliveira do Bairro. The specific objectives are: to map existing sports facilities, as well as spaces and equipment; characterize/differentiate sports facilities according to their typology and nature and analyze the data collected on existing sports facilities, based on the legislation in force. Literature Review: Sport assumes itself as an unifying phenomenon of contemporary society, capable of uniting different beliefs, religions, tastes, races and ideas. Strategic planning translates into a process used to position an organization, governed by the prioritization of means and resources, and should therefore be a dynamic process and in constant adjustment. The Municipal Sports Charter has as its main objective to establish the basis for management and strategic decision of the municipality, as well as the purpose of promoting and developing sports in the territorial area in which it is located. The methodology used was based on a quantitative approach, with data collection carried out through questionnaires. These were prepared taking into account the legislation relating to sizing reference parameters, differentiated criteria and typologies of sports facilities. The observation made was direct and was then subjected to a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data collected. From the study we concluded that: there are 90 facilities and sports spaces in the municipality, of which only 29 are covered; the most predominant sports facilities are school sports facilities, followed by recreational facilities, training facilities, special sporting events and finally specialized facilities; 54% of the Municipality's Sports Facilities and Spaces are directly managed and the remaining 46% are privately managed; programming criteria for Sports facilities and equipment in the municipality are not in accordance with DGOTDU; the parish of Oiã has the most sports facilities and equipment, followed by Oliveira do Bairro, UFBTM, and Palhaça.

Sports Management Education: A Perspective on the Public Sector

The discussion on the role of the sport managers has gained a growing prominence within the scope of scientific research in sport, and it is crucial that he/she possesses knowledge and essential skills to act efficiently and effectively in increasingly complex and differentiated contexts. This research aimed to identify the sociodemographic profile of the main actors involved in municipal sports management, while exploring their perception of the importance of training in sports management. We followed a simple descriptive quantitative approach, focusing on the 308 municipalities of Mainland Portugal, the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Autonomous Region of the Azores. Data were collected through a questionnaire, applied between November 2020 and February 2021, and 443 responses were achieved. The results show a superiority of males in both groups and in both cases they are aged between 41 and 49 years. The average level of qualifications is the bachelor’s degree, however, the number of professionals with academic training in sports management is extremely low. Despite this scenario, the professionals working in municipal sports management considered that it is very important to have training in sports management in order to improve their skills. Theoretical contributions of the research: (i) increases scientific knowledge in the field of municipal sports management and its actors; (ii) updates knowledge on the profile of technicians and those responsible for the promotion and development of municipal sports activity; (iii) establishes the relationship between the importance of training in sports management and the opinion/perception of those who effectively act as sports managers; (iv) explores the indices of training in sports management vs. the academic qualifications of technicians and municipal officials. Keywords: Sports management; portuguese municipalities; sports technicians; competencies; education and training

Source of Occupational Conflict at Greek Municipal Sports Organizations

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold. At first, to examine the role of political influence in public administration using the non-productive occupational conflicts in Municipal Sport Organizations (M.S.Os). At second, to investigate which might be the particular aspects of conflict creation. Design/methodology/approach: The study used information extracted from semi-constructed interviews. Interviewed participants were employees of different municipal sports organizations of the Region of Attica Greece. They also belong to different occupational levels. Findings: The results indicated that the employees in municipal sports organizations detect the roots of interior conflicts in the political influence, which is a practice as an indirect pressure of the elected management members of the board, to implement a certain policy. The results also revealed a new source of non-productive occupational conflict referred to as “the man close to the President”. Practical implications: Conflicts in the interior of a municipal sports organization adds extra cost. Having knowledge of the deeper causes of a conflict, managers and board members can work in advance in certain procedures to avoid the creation of such situations. This will guide the board and the management of the organization in wiser funds use, and it will help in the creation of a much better organizational environment. Originality/value: This study fills a significant gap in the existing literature. Concerns both the political influence of elected members of a municipal sports organization board as causes of conflicts and particular aspects, which provoke conflict, detected and named as the man next to the president.

Improving the thermal performance of existing buildings in light of the requirements of the EU directive 2010/31/EU in Poland

Abstract Nowadays, the issue of energy saving is becoming increasingly important. Both households and large public facilities, such as schools, kindergartens, health centers, shopping, or leisure centers, implement energy saving systems. To start saving, one must first identify where the greatest energy losses occur. For this purpose, energy audits are carried out. The results of the audit make it possible to implement the necessary changes, including the replacement of old heating systems with modern energy-efficient equipment with the same, or even better, heating effect. This article presents research conducted in two public buildings, namely the Elementary School in Powroźnik in the administrative district of Muszyna and the Municipal Sports and Recreation Center in Dębica in Poland. The tests were carried out in accordance with the Directive 2010/31/EU (with later changes: directive 2012/27/EU and (EU)2018/844). The obtained results confirmed the need for comprehensive thermal upgrades in both buildings. The objective of the research was to develop the method aimed to reach the nearly zero-energy building in a public sector. Buildings in this category are usually of the great volume and heating space, but the functions of the buildings may be very diverse. It can be an administrative office, school, swimming pool, ice rink, hospital, etc. The article shows that although the functions of the buildings can be different some common methods of effective thermomodernization can be developed. In general, in large public buildings, complex solutions should be implemented. These include heat recovery using heat pumps in ventilation systems, renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaics, heat pumps, or combined heat and power for space heating, building management systems that adjust the heat supplied according to the weather conditions, and lighting systems.

Assessment of the perception of quality in mexican municipal sports services

The objective of the present investigation was to assess the perception quality of municipal sports services of the city of Allende, Nuevo León, Mexico. For the analysis of the data the statistical software SPSS v.24 was used. The instrument used was SERVQUAL, adapted to the Mexican sports context, which consists of 22 items grouped into 5 dimensions (tangible, empathy, reliability, responsiveness and safety). The sample of this study was 100 subjects, in a range of 16 to 60 years, of which 57 (51.6%) belong to the male gender and 43 (48.4%) to the female gender. The descriptive and correlation analyzes of the sample were carried out. Among the results obtained, the study presents acceptable quality values for said municipal complex. In conclusion, the evaluation, monitoring of the objectives and indicators of the municipal sports services are of vital importance to perform an adequate follow-up of the expectations, perception and satisfaction of its users, which will make municipal sports management more efficient.

Functional Characterization of Sports Secretaries of Ceará: Socio-demographic and Organizational Analysis of municipal actions aimed at sport and leisure

This study aimed to characterize the profile of municipal sport secretaries in the State of Ceará, identifying the sociodemographic, organizational and functional situation of these managers. The methodology used had as a guiding parameter a quantitative, descriptive and exploratory analysis, using a specific questionnaire as a data collection instrument, answered by a sample of 17 municipal secretaries of the state of Ceará, cataloged in the period from 2017 to 2019 at random, by search and response, via democratic consent. For the descriptive and statistical interpretation of the variables, Microsoft Office Excel 2020 and SPSS 2020 were used. Among the results found, it was evidenced that the managers of Ceará were mostly male, with an average age between 31 and 40 years old, married, with a college degree/post-graduate course and natives of the municipality, with the development of their work functions carried out in specific sports secretaries. The records signaled the need for the inclusion of women in the field of municipal sports management, via the creation of public policies that encourage the valorization of the female sex. Thus, social projects must be implemented to strengthen the aforementioned public from early childhood, strengthening the triad of dissemination of these values, primarily initiated in the family environment, and secondarily in school and later grounded in the academic field as an inviolable attribute of universal knowledge.

The impact of local public policies on sports performance. Oradea – An example of success

European, national and local public policies have a crucial role when it comes to social and economic development. Based on European and national frameworks, local public administration develops and implements local public policies based on the community needs in order to reach a high level of local development. Among other sectors, sport plays a major role in the local development. Our paper aims to outline the role of local public authorities from Oradea, Romania, in supporting high-performance sport at a local level through local public policies. In Oradea a high-performance sport is represented by the Municipal Sports Club; therefore, our analysis focuses on the impact of local public policies on the sports activity of the club. The study methodology is mixed, based on document analysis and individual interviews. Research results show a clear link between the decision of local public authorities to get involved in local sports activity and the achievement of outstanding results by local sports teams. Consistent financial support, high quality sports infrastructure, transparent public-private partnerships, as well as strong partnerships between various local public authorities are the keys to developing performance sport.

Sport, migration and integration in Denmark: local political responses and policies in Copenhagen

ABSTRACT Denmark in recent years has seen a significant increase in immigration. The topic has become a major political issue, due mainly to the rise of far-right political parties that advocate not only for a more restrictive immigration policy, but also for an assimilation strategy for those migrants currently resident in the country. Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), the aim of this article is to analyse the role of sport policy in Copenhagen as an instrument for the social integration of migrants between 2010 and 2018. This paper focuses on female immigrants and women-only swimming, exploring the impact on policy of the interactions between national, municipal and sports club policy actors. The main findings of the research are: a) sport was identified in Copenhagen as an important vehicle for the inclusion of recent migrants into communal associationalist life and their introduction to Danish societal values and norms; b) the Municipality of Copenhagen was granted by central government considerable autonomy in interpreting their responsibilities and collaborated closely with sports clubs in the design and delivery of sports programmes related to immigrants; c) two competing advocacy coalitions were identified, one favouring inclusion through assimilation and the other integration through multiculturalism; d) the assimilationist coalition was composed of centre-right and far-right political parties. As these parties controlled the municipal sport department, it was the sports clubs that pursued a multicultural policy; and e) the issue of gender-segregated swimming was a focal issue for disputes over approaches to integration.

Sport Management in Municipalities

The fundamental role of a Municipality is to promote the improvement of the living conditions of its citizens. In this sense, we believe that it is not enough for Municipalities to take into account the traditional domains of sports infrastructures as a minimalist vision. Therefore, it is urgent to promote a vision centered on all segments of the population, which has a broader strategy for the future, in order to increase the practice of sports for all citizens. Thus, nowadays, in terms of sports planning and management, the municipal political decisions must be based on concrete knowledge in the reality in which we live. Given the above, this study aims to analyze the municipal sports management, describing, based on the literature of the specialty, the role of the municipal sports manager in several aspects. It is concluded that the sports management of the municipalities must be substantiated in a planning and strategy for the future, which allows a concrete orientation of the lives of people and public or private organizations. In view of the above, further studies are recommended to better contextualize municipal strategies from the point of view of sports management and its main actors.