South African Sport Research Articles

South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) consensus statement on policy for managing athletes with disorders of sexual development (DSD)

SASMA views disorders of sexual development (DSD) as a medical condition that has profound physical and psychological effects on not only the individuals affected, but also their families. Like any other disorder, this condition has to be managed with a view to offer the best outcomes for affected individuals. When the attending physician identifies stigmata suggesting DSD in a newborn there should be proper consultation and education of parents.

South African Sports Medicine Association Position Statement on Exercise in Pregnancy

There are many concerns about exercise during pregnancy, with medical advice historically dissuading women from continuing or initiating regular exercise programmes. However, research has shown that high levels of exercise are not associated with an increased incidence of negative events. Currently, many women of childbearing age wish to continue with their exercise programmes during pregnancy. Appropriate guidance and exercise counselling by the attending care provider can fulfil this need. This position statement aims to assist pregnant women and their care providers in assessing the merits and benefits of improving and maintaining fitness during this period.

The effects of sport participation on gender relations: Case studies of female footballers in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa

ABSTRACTSouth Africa has progressive political policies concerning women with a high percentage of women in political positions, while simultaneously having some of the worst indicators of gender relations internationally, including high rates of rape and domestic violence. This article examines how participation in football can challenge hegemonic masculinity in South African society and sport through comprehensive case studies of women's football in the townships of Johannesburg and Cape Town. Internationally, sport has demonstrated a positive effect on improving gender relations. This includes opportunities for women to gain self-esteem and confidence, have constructive interactions with men, and challenge unequal gender norms. However, sport can contribute to the ostracisation of women and further entrench male hegemony. A mixed methods approach was used to collect case studies of 21 female footballers involving 81 interviews of players, household members, coaches, and administrators in addition to 33 focus groups with players and peers. Gender relations are discussed on three levels: macro – access to national positions of authority and financial resources; meso – access to community facilities and school opportunities as well as changed perceptions and team acceptance of alternative sexualities; and micro – effects on interpersonal relationships, individual educational opportunities, and division of household labour. Past research provides an overview of these three levels relating to hegemonic masculinity within the general South African society and how sport can address these issues. More longitudinal research is needed to determine whether these changes are significant enough to make long-term differences and have an effect on gender relations in the larger South African society.

Revisiting (and Revising?) Sports Boycotts: From Rugby against South Africa to Soccer in Israel

For the first time in nearly 30 years, 2013 saw increasing public awareness of calls for a comprehensive boycott of and sanctions on a state based on questions of an ‘entrenched system of racial discrimination’. The call to boycott South African sport emerged in the 1950s as the apartheid state was developing and refining its comprehensive and systematic legal form amid growing international pressure for decolonisation. This is a different social and political context than the call 50 years later by Palestinian civil society for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. This paper draws on analyses of international anti-apartheid movements' campaigns against sporting contact with South Africa and the BDS call for the isolation of the Israeli state to propose a theory of sports boycotts. It looks at the anti-apartheid campaigns to consider ways in which the BDS campaign has an impact on existing historical understandings of cultural boycotts as a tactical and strategic campaign tool.

Coaching in South Africa

The South African government and the South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) have committed to the creation of an active and winning nation through sport. As part of the national sports plan, coaching has been identified as a key element in the success of the South African sports system. In this context, SASCOC commissioned the development of the South African Coaching Framework, which was formally launched in 2011. The development and launch of the Framework has been accompanied by the gathering of research and scoping data to inform the processes of planning, implementation and impact evaluation. This article describes the current position of coaching in South Africa and the key issues being addressed through the South African Coaching Framework. The challenges that remain to be faced in maximising the contribution of sport coaching to the sporting and social vision of the nation are also identifed.

The African Political Organisation’s contributions to South African sports, 1914-1915 (Part II)

The history of South African sport remains an under researched area. According to the historian, Ander Odendaal, the racist nature of 20th Century South African society implies that there are “past exclusions that persist” (Odendaal, 2006:27) In order to address this situation, a scientifichistorical enquiry into the publications of the official mouthpiece of the African Political Organisation (APO) was undertaken. The APO official mouthpiece or newspaper was also called “The APO”. A descriptive account of organized sport that received coverage in “The APO” during the period 1914-1915, is presented in this article. Research in this area was previously conducted for the period 1909 – 1913 (see Cleophas & Van der Merwe, 2010). It is imperative that the two articles be read together, in order to get a clear understanding of the connection between the APO and sport. The APO provides sport historians with a panoramic view of participation practices of historically marginalised communities in urban centres, as well as in obscure rural villages. The newspaper also provides a comprehensive overview of sportparticipation levels during the early years of the 20th century.Key words: African Political Organisation (APO), sport, South Africa.

Physiotherapists’ knowledge of pain: A cross-sectional correlational study of members of the South African Sports and Orthopaedic Manipulative Special Interest Groups

Background. Pain is the most common complaint for which patients seek the help of a physiotherapist. Furthermore, pain has been identified as the fifth vital sign, indicating the attention with which physiotherapists should be assessing pain. Previous studies have found deficits in pain knowledge among healthcare providers. Poor knowledge about pain is recognised to lead to poor assessment ability, and subsequently, to poor pain management.Objective. To investigate the pain knowledge of sports and orthopaedic manipulative physiotherapists in South Africa (SA).Methods. Data were collected online by means of a demographic questionnaire and Unruh’s Revised Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire (RPKAQ). Participants were members of the Sports Physiotherapy Group and Orthopaedic Manipulative Physiotherapy Group of the South African Society of Physiotherapy.Results. The mean score for the RPKAQ was 65.5% (standard deviation (SD) ±8.6). Only 14.45% of the physiotherapists scored ≥75%. Lowest scores were obtained for the ‘assessment and measurement of pain’ (47.6%; SD ±15.6) and ‘developmental changes in pain perception’ (58.7%; SD ±20.8) sections of the RPKAQ, while the highest mean score was obtained for the ‘physiological basis of pain’ section (76.8%; SD±14.6). Gender, ethnicity (defined by home language), academic training and clinical experience did not contribute significantly to overall pain knowledge.Conclusion. There is an inadequate level of pain knowledge among members of the sports and orthopaedic manipulative physiotherapy groups in SA, particularly in the areas of the assessment and measurement of pain, and developmental changes in pain perception.

Physiotherapists’ knowledge of pain: A cross-sectional correlational study of members of the South African Sports and Orthopaedic Manipulative Special Interest Groups

Background. Pain is the most common complaint for which patients seek the help of a physiotherapist. Furthermore, pain has been identified as the fifth vital sign, indicating the attention with which physiotherapists should be assessing pain. Previous studies have found deficits in pain knowledge among healthcare providers. Poor knowledge about pain is recognised to lead to poor assessment ability, and subsequently, to poor pain management.Objective. To investigate the pain knowledge of sports and orthopaedic manipulative physiotherapists in South Africa (SA).Methods. Data were collected online by means of a demographic questionnaire and Unruh’s Revised Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire (RPKAQ). Participants were members of the Sports Physiotherapy Group and Orthopaedic Manipulative Physiotherapy Group of the South African Society of Physiotherapy.Results. The mean score for the RPKAQ was 65.5% (standard deviation (SD) ±8.6). Only 14.45% of the physiotherapists scored ≥75%. Lowest scores were obtained for the ‘assessment and measurement of pain’ (47.6%; SD ±15.6) and ‘developmental changes in pain perception’ (58.7%; SD ±20.8) sections of the RPKAQ, while the highest mean score was obtained for the ‘physiological basis of pain’ section (76.8%; SD±14.6). Gender, ethnicity (defined by home language), academic training and clinical experience did not contribute significantly to overall pain knowledge.Conclusion. There is an inadequate level of pain knowledge among members of the sports and orthopaedic manipulative physiotherapy groups in SA, particularly in the areas of the assessment and measurement of pain, and developmental changes in pain perception.

Physiotherapists’ knowledge of pain: A cross-sectional correlational study of members of the South African Sports and Orthopaedic Manipulative Special Interest Groups

Background. Pain is the most common complaint for which patients seek the help of a physiotherapist. Furthermore, pain has been identified as the fifth vital sign, indicating the attention with which physiotherapists should be assessing pain. Previous studies have found deficits in pain knowledge among healthcare providers. Poor knowledge about pain is recognised to lead to poor assessment ability, and subsequently, to poor pain management.Objective. To investigate the pain knowledge of sports and orthopaedic manipulative physiotherapists in South Africa (SA).Methods. Data were collected online by means of a demographic questionnaire and Unruh’s Revised Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire (RPKAQ). Participants were members of the Sports Physiotherapy Group and Orthopaedic Manipulative Physiotherapy Group of the South African Society of Physiotherapy.Results. The mean score for the RPKAQ was 65.5% (standard deviation (SD) ±8.6). Only 14.45% of the physiotherapists scored ≥75%. Lowest scores were obtained for the ‘assessment and measurement of pain’ (47.6%; SD ±15.6) and ‘developmental changes in pain perception’ (58.7%; SD ±20.8) sections of the RPKAQ, while the highest mean score was obtained for the ‘physiological basis of pain’ section (76.8%; SD±14.6). Gender, ethnicity (defined by home language), academic training and clinical experience did not contribute significantly to overall pain knowledge.Conclusion. There is an inadequate level of pain knowledge among members of the sports and orthopaedic manipulative physiotherapy groups in SA, particularly in the areas of the assessment and measurement of pain, and developmental changes in pain perception.

Professional Football in Apartheid South Africa: Leisure, Consumption and Identity in the National Football League, 1959–1977

A growing body of academic and popular literature considers the history of South African football. These and existing publications pay little or no attention to the emergence of white professional football in apartheid South Africa. The National Football League (NFL) challenged the amateur game and introduced professional football to the country. During its 17-year existence, the NFL grew each season with large attendances until its demise in 1977. In addition, the NFL imported a range of international players, invited foreign teams and actively engaged in the political debates in South African sport at the time. The NFL was instrumental in popularising the game across the country for all South Africans. The NFL became the most popular sports entertainment of choice for South Africans during this period. Finally, the NFL actively engaged in a campaign of destroying rival non-racial anti-apartheid leagues while simultaneously co-opting less progressive organisations.

‘Here Come “Chelsea” of Sweden’: Djurgården Football Club on Tour in Apartheid South Africa

In this article we argue that while apartheid, boycotts and South African sport have received significant coverage and focus, this has primarily been restricted to Britain and former white colonies of the Commonwealth such as Australia and New Zealand. In addition, sports such as cricket and rugby receive most attention. We argue that it is useful to consider other countries and sports engaged in apartheid South Africa. We consider Swedish engagement with apartheid South Africa and focus the case study of our analysis on the tour by champions Djurgården to the country in 1955. The tourists received favourable and widespread support in South Africa and Sweden. Yet towards the end of the tour sections of the Swedish press asked critical and probing questions of the club's tour to South Africa. We contend that the tour can be viewed as naïve and apolitical and in a similar vein to the organization of Swedish sports at that time. Only after the intensification of suppression of opposition to apartheid in South Africa from the 1960s onwards do we see a change in stance on the part of Swedish sports authorities.

The relationship between visitor spending and repeat visits: An analysis of spectators at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between visitor spending patterns, and previous and planned return visits as well as demographic and trip characteristics of supporters to the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon held annually in Cape Town. Problem investigated: Spectator sport is a significant segment of the tourism industry which also has a considerable economic impact on host communities. For this reason, communities and destinations have recognised and attempt to capitalise on hosting large sporting events. In this regard visitor spending is crucial since information concerning the latter can provide sport event organisers to focus their marketing efforts to attract optimal economic benefits. In addition, the relationship of previous visits to a sport event and intended re-visits to visitor spending has received increasing attention since it is believed that repeat visitation is associated with higher levels of expenditure. However limited attention is currently being paid to the relationship between spectator spending patterns and previous and planned return visits in a South African sport spectator context even though the latter has a direct impact on the future sustainability of an event. Methodology: A supporter survey was done for the first time in 2010 (30 March - 2 April 2010) at the event and 430 questionnaires were completed. Factor analysis and regression analysis are used to analyse the data and to identify the relationship between repeat visits and visitor spending patterns. Findings: Results from this study shows that it is predominantly socio-demographic variables that influence travel behaviour. The significant socio-demographic determinants that influence spending per person are gender, language and province of origin while the only behavioural determinant was group size. The results also revealed that there is no significant relationship between spectator spending, repeat attendance and intention to re-visit. However, repeat attendance does have a significant influence on spectators' intention to re-visit and spectators who have attended the race more times have a higher intention to revisit in the future.Originality and conclusion: Results from his innovative study showed that although no statistically significant relationship was established, a strong relationship between repeat visits and intention to revisit was found. A significant contribution to the literature is evident since the focus is on spectators at a sports event as opposed to participants. It was the first study of its kind in South Africa and the importance of the role and function of spectators at an event is highlighted. As a further contribution, prominent differences regarding the participants were evident when compared to previous studies on participants at other South African sports events. Event organisers can use this information to effectively promote the event in order to attract supporters and to generate revenue for Cape Town during the event but especially months after the race. The latter will also greatly contribute to the long-term sustainability of the marathon.

South African Sports Medicine Association Position Statement on Exercise in Pregnancy

South African Sports Medicine Association Position Statement on Exercise in Pregnancy

South African Sports Medicine Association Position Statement on Exercise in Pregnancy

There are many concerns about exercise during pregnancy, with medical advice historically dissuading women from continuing or initiating regular exercise programmes. However, research has shown that high levels of exercise are not associated with an increased incidence of negative events. Currently, many women of childbearing age wish to continue with their exercise programmes during pregnancy. Appropriate guidance and exercise counselling by the attending care provider can fulfil this need. This position statement aims to assist pregnant women and their care providers in assessing the merits and benefits of improving and maintaining fitness during this period.

The sports concussion note: should SCAT become SCOAT?

Sports concussion research and clinical guidelines have evolved rapidly. The most recent concussion consensus statement and guidelines (Zurich, 2008) provided clinicians with the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool version 2 (SCAT2)...

The injury burden ̶ sport and exercise scientists can contribute more to public health

SAJSM, vol 23 No. 4 2011

Visuele stereotipering van sportvroue in die sportmedia

Despite various attempts at achieving gender equality in sport, the media is still dominated by stereotypical representations of sportswomen. The purpose of the present research was to describe gender subjectivity and gender stereotyping in the visual portrayal of sportswomen in one of the largest South African sports magazines, and to determine the value of vector analysis as a visual-grammatical analysis instrument in identifying and opposing dominant ideologies. A literature review of published research on under-representation and stereotyping of sportswomen in the media was undertaken. The theoretical and methodological framework was Critical Discourse Analysis and Kress and Van Leeuwen's (1996; 2006) 'visual grammar', with specific emphasis on vector analysis. The types of vectors operating in visual representations and their relationship to the stereotypical constructions of sportswomen in the media were determined. Five photographs were critically analysed, one example from each stereotypical construct: ‘Athletic’ (the positive stereotype) as opposed to ‘homosexual’, ‘loser’, ‘model’ and ‘sex object’ (negative stereotypes) were identified. The most important conclusions are that sportswomen were predominantly stereotyped negatively in the sports magazine under scrutiny, and that vector analysis is a useful heuristic tool in identifying and confirming visual subjectivity.Keywords: Women in sport; Critical discourse analysis; Gender stereotyping in sport; Gender inequality; Gender ideology; Vector analysis; Visual grammarArticle text in Afrikaans

Tourist displacement in two South African sport mega-events

Crowding-out (or displacement) of non-event visitors has received little attention in the literature on the impact of sports events, largely because it cannot be measured accurately. This paper discusses such effects in conceptual terms and reports the results of an analysis of data on tourist arrivals in South Africa aimed at estimating the displacement effects of two sports events held in 2009: the Indian Premier League cricket tournament and the British and Irish Lions rugby tour. Using monthly tourist arrivals in South Africa from specific countries, we find that some tourists from countries not participating in these events were displaced; the much stronger effect, however, was that tourists from the participating countries re-arranged their visits to coincide with an event. While confirming the inherent difficulty of measuring crowding-out effects, this paper shows that characteristics of events can sometimes be exploited to obtain useful information on displacement from readily available data.

‘The race for supremacy’: the politics of ‘white’ sport in South Africa, 1870–1910

In line with policies of imperialism, Britons of the late Victorian era believed themselves to be superior culturally, economically and politically when compared with other groups of people. This led to a promotion of things British, including sport, in the new regions of the Empire. In South Africa, however, this imposition of culture alienated an Afrikaans population, who, despite their European origins, were now as much a part of South Africa as the other groups that inhabited this area. Based on research conducted in South African archives over the past decade, this article examines the early development of ‘white’ sport in South Africa and its link to the politics of the late nineteenth century. Although a significant amount of work has concentrated on ‘race’ relations between black, coloured and white participants in the history of South African sport, this investigation reveals how the progress of sports such as cricket, rugby and soccer was tied to an antagonistic relationship between the two dominant white factions – the Afrikaners and the British. As such, this article marks an original contribution to the field.

Female sport administrators’ experiences of organizational fit in the workplace

Gender inequality in South African sport has been legislated against by a number of constitutionally binding Acts. Although these policies have done much to address the general absence of women in leadership positions in sport, this absence is undoubtedly linked to gender inequality in sport. This is a reflection of the realities which shape women’s understanding of their organizational experiences in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to report on female sport administrators’ experiences of organisational fit in their places of work with regard to their experiences of resistance and exclusion, decision making, the absence of women in leadership positions and tokenism in sport. A qualitative method was used to explore organisational fit as experienced by participants in their places of work. Candidates were purposively selected to reflect the cultural and historical diversity of the women in leadership positions in sport in the Western Cape. Data was collected by using semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Reflexivity and trustworthiness were ensured by doing member checks, clarifying researcher bias and peer review and debriefing. A key finding of this study was that the experiences of these participants are not that of token members in sport and in their sport organisations. Findings in this study also show that there are differences in how men respond to the women’s entry into sport. Further conclusions and recommendations are offered.Keywords: Organisational fit, decision making, leadership, tokenism, women in leadership.