Sport System Research Articles

Developing a Community Sport Organization’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy

This teaching case study tasks students with creating a diversity, equity, and inclusion policy. The teaching case study’s context is a fictional community sport organization (CSO; i.e., Niagara Falls Thundering River Volleyball Club) located in the Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada. To develop such a policy, students learn about the emerging pressures and market conditions surrounding the fictional CSO. Students are also made aware of key policy principles as well as management by values to consider ethical standards within diversity, equity, and inclusion. Finally, students are introduced to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies within the Canadian sport system to inform their policy development process for the purposes of this teaching case study.

Sports Dentistry- A Review of Prevalence and Awareness of Sports Injuries, Dental Implications and Opportunities in Dentistry

Sports dentistry is a branch of oral sciences concerned with the treatment, management, and prevention of the trauma to the orofacial region sustained while participating in any sports activity. Sports have been frequently reported to be an important cause of overall oral trauma in children, as well as adults. There is an evident lack of knowledge in the general population regarding how sports injuries are to be prevented and dealt with. Dentists, if included in sports teams and schools, can help penetrate this knowledge and awareness barrier. Lifestyle, eating habits, stress, etc., have an impact on the performance of the athletes. Stress in athletes can lead to substance abuse, more precisely, tobacco abuse which can affect their performance. Like physiotherapists, even dentists can be made a part of a professional sports team where they can help prevent the complications arising due to facial traumas by the administration of various protective appliances and handle maxillofacial trauma. The present study aimed to evaluate and comprehend the current opportunities for dentists in the field of sports dentistry, whilst emphasising their significance in the professional sports system.

Maturity Status, Relative Age and Constituent Year Effects in Young Iberian Kayakers

Like in other sports systems, in kayaking, young athletes are commonly grouped by their birth years. This study analyzed maturity status, relative age, and constituent age effects in young Under 14 (U14) and 16 (U16) Iberian male kayakers. One hundred and thirty (U14: n =80; U16: n = 50) young kayakers aged 14.10 ± 1.06 years were assessed for anthropometry, performance, maturity, and sport experience. The year was divided into four birth quarters (BQ). There were no significant differences in the kayaker’s distribution by BQ in both categories (U14, p = 0.348; U16, p = 0.709) or total sample (p = 0.783). Six of the ten best kayakers in the U14 category were born in the year’s first half, and eight were among the U16 kayakers. Talent detection and selection systems based solely on the young kayakers’ performances may imply some bias. One of the ways to get around this situation would be to adopt a grouping system similar to bio-banding, allowing the maximum number of practitioners to experience the possibility of obtaining competitive success.

The general characteristics and historical aspect of the emergence and development of horting as a national type of motor activity of Ukraine

Horting is the national sport of Ukraine. It is a representative of a new direction of complex mixed martial arts in the world, but the multifaceted two rounds of a duel significantly distinguish this sport from others, thanks to the developed rules of competitions, which have not been used in the world until this moment.
 The main goal of horting is to cover all sections of the population of Ukraine from young children to the elderly, popularize and increase the role of physical culture and sports, patriotic education, involve children and young people in a healthy lifestyle, distract them from harmful habits, and educate the individual in the spirit. decency, patriotism and love for one's Motherland.
 The article provides a general description and examines the historical aspect of the emergence and development of horting as a national type of motor activity of Ukraine. The origin of the word "horting" was studied.
 It has been established that horting in Ukraine is an important component of the national system of physical culture and sports, patriotic and spiritual education of youth, revival and rooting of cultural, health and martial traditions of the Ukrainian people.
 It has been found that horting classes contribute to strengthening health; development of physical, moral and intellectual qualities of a person; the formation of the internal culture of the individual, his high-willed qualities, healthy lifestyle skills; harmonious physical development; attracting the younger generation to the wealth of universal values; the "awakening" of the national consciousness of Ukrainians; is an effective means of solving the problems of educating the younger generation, as sports distract boys and girls from the street, giving them the opportunity to fully demonstrate their talents and realize their potential.

Retracted: Wireless Sensor Network Technology-Based Design and Realization of Intelligent Tennis Sports System

Retracted: Wireless Sensor Network Technology-Based Design and Realization of Intelligent Tennis Sports System

STUDENT SAMBO IN CHUVASHIA: EVOLVEMENT AND PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT

As part of implementing national development projects of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030, a special place is given to student sports as a factor ensuring formation of active participants in social interactions. At this, special emphasis is placed on popularization of domestic sports, especially sambo, as a national treasure of Russia. All this actualizes the question of finding promising ways to develop student sambo, both at the federal and regional levels. Taking into account the indicated relevance, the search for promising directions for the development of student sambo in the Chuvash Republic was considered as the purpose of the study. Based on a retrospective analysis of archival data and periodical publications, some aspects and stages in the development of student sambo in the Chuvash Republic were identified for the first time, and a promising direction in its development was scientifically substantiated. In the context of the stated purpose of the study, its main methods were the analysis and generalization of data from archival sources, publications in periodicals, information from scientific and methodological literature and Internet sources. Based on a systematic approach, the authors consider student sambo in Chuvashia as a structural component of the Russian student sports system, which is an important element of the international student sports system. A brief historical insight of the international student sports movement is presented. Some aspects of student sports formation in the Russian Empire and the USSR are considered. Formation in 1957 of the voluntary student sports society “Burevestnik” is noted to be a consequence of the state policy in the field of physical culture and sports movement in the period of the 1930s – 1950s. However, taking into account the changed socio-economic conditions, in 1993 it was reorganized into the Russian Student Sports Union, which served as an impetus for creating its republican branch. The contribution to popularization and development of sambo within the framework of the republican Russian Student Sports Union by its first head, the head of Physical Education and Sports Department at I.N. Ulianov Chuvash State University, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor O.A. Markiyanov is evaluated. Based on the retrospective analysis of research materials, the stages in student sambo formation and development in Chuvashia in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods are considered in the chronological order. Statistical data on participation of Chuvash sambo students in competitions at the republican, All-Russian and international levels are given. Attention is focused on the fact that creation of the All-Russian Student Sambo League had a significant importance in the development of student sambo in Russia in general and in Chuvashia in particular. Under its auspices, not only various sambo championships and championships among students were organized, but also mutual contacts between universities of the country cultivating the domestic type of wrestling were intensified. The results of the study supplement the regional history with information on evolvement and development of student sambo in Chuvashia in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. They can be used in training specialists in the field of physical culture and sports, as well as in advanced training courses. The results of the study can be taken into account when making some managerial decisions on the development of student sports at the regional level. Generalization of the source data based on a systematic approach gives grounds to state that student sambo of Chuvashia, having passed the stages of evolvement and development, has already acquired its own system organization. At this, it is a structural element of regional and Russian student sports. In this regard, it is concluded that further dynamic development of student sambo in Chuvashia, as a system-based construct, is possible provided its “openness” increases. In this vein, a practical recommendation is formulated.

What Contributes to Athlete Performance Health? A Concept Mapping Approach.

In high-performance sport, athlete performance health encompasses a state of optimal physical, mental, and social wellbeing related to an athlete's sporting success. The aim of this study was to identify the priority areas for achieving athlete performance health in Australia's high-performance sport system (HPSS). Participants across five socioecological levels of Australia's HPSS were invited to contribute to this study. Concept mapping, a mixed-methods approach incorporating qualitative and quantitative data collection, was used. Participants brainstormed ideas for what athlete performance health requires, sorted the ideas into groups based on similar meaning and rated the importance, and ease of achieving each idea on a scale from 1 (not important/easiest to overcome) to 5 (extremely important/hardest to overcome). Forty-nine participants generated 97 unique statements that were grouped into 12 clusters following multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. The three clusters with highest mean importance rating were (mean importance rating (1-5), mean ease of overcoming (1-5)): 'Behavioral competency' (4.37, 2.30); 'Collaboration and teamwork' (4.19, 2.65); 'Valuing athlete wellbeing' (4.17, 2.77). The 12 clusters were grouped into five overarching domains: Domain one-Performance health culture; Domain two-Integrated strategy; Domain three-Operational effectiveness; Domain four-Skilled people; Domain five-Leadership. A diverse sample of key stakeholders from Australia's HPSS identified five overarching domains that contribute to athlete performance health. The themes that need to be addressed in a strategy to achieve athlete performance health in Australia's HPSS are 'Leadership', 'Skilled people', 'Performance health culture', 'Operational effectiveness', and 'Integrated strategy'.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF INTRODUCING CANOE POLO IN THE SPORT SYSTEM OF WESTERN BALKAN COUNTRIES

The International Canoe Federation includes 10 forms of kayaking and canoeing and recognizes 4 additional disciplines. One of the most popular is canoe polo. Canoe polo is a team sport that belongs to the family of sports games. Two teams of five players each fight to score more goals, with a water polo ball, in a pool of specific dimensions. Canoe polo developed in parallel in three similar variants of the rules, as an alternative to paddling during windy and cold winter days. Canoe polo contains the largest number of different techniques in relation to all paddling sports, while ball handling is done with a mixture of water polo, handball, basketball, and volleyball techniques. Simultaneous handling of the ball, with an overview of the game and interfering with the opponent is a very demanding coordination activity that does not exist in paddling in nature with different obstacles, both in terms of content and dynamics. Today, canoe polo is played in about 40 countries. Wild and flat water kayak and canoe disciplines have existed in the countries of the Western Balkans outside the European Union for many years, while canoe polo activities, clubs and competitions do not exist at all. The introduction of canoe polo in the sports systems of the West Balkan countries outside of European Union can be used as a means to popularize canoeing, as well as to raise the quality of canoeists by applying situational and super-situational training methods. Very demanding activities during more diverting trainings, with a greater opportunity to compete, as well as with a longer and more meaningful competition calendar, can significantly improve the skills needed for kayaking and canoeing in all its manifestations. In addition, the economic effect of development through sports facilities, infrastructure and boats with protective equipment should not be neglected, which at some point may become the basis for the organization of domestic and international competitions.

World's leading countries experience in the management of elite sports: a review article

Purpose: To present a comparative description of elite sports management in the world sports leaders and to substantiate the possible use of the experience of these countries for elite sports development in Ukraine.
 Material and methods: The analysis of literature sources was carries out by working with scientific works, which are presented in the databases “ Web of science”, “Scopus”, “Pub Med” and others. The literary sources were searched for according to the keywords: "elite sports functioning and development", "main indices of elite sports development", "innovations in elite sports". Next, the results were specified according to the keyword "USA", "China", "Great Britain", "Germany", "Ukraine" and separately by the keyword "comparative analysis". A total of 537 works were found according to the keywords, of which 37 were selected for the literature review. The selection was carried out as follows: first, the topic of the articles was analyzed, then, if the topic corresponded to the direction of our study, the annotation was analyzed. If the annotation corresponded to the direction of our research, the text of the article was analyzed.
 Results. The essence and peculiarities of elite sport functioning and development in USA, China, Great Britain, and Germany, the leaders of world sports are considered. It is shown that in many countries of the world, state authorities tend to pay significant attention to the field of elite sports development.
 It is established that in order to take the lead in world sports, in particular at the Olympic Games, the USA, China, Great Britain, and Germany are carrying out innovative development of the system of elite sport. However, the innovative development of elite sport in each country occurs according to its own scenario with due account for national specifics. At the same time, elite sport in Ukraine continues to develop according to an extensive model.
 The presented analysis of elite sports management in the advanced countries of the world can contribute to the improvement of the system of elite sports in Ukraine with account for foreign experience. The data obtained indicate that the system of elite sport management used in Great Britain may be the most appropriate for the functioning and development of elite sport in Ukraine.
 Conclusions. One of the possible approaches to the formation and implementation of state policy in the field of elite sport is to use the successful experience of the elite sport management system, which is functioning in Great Britain.

The effectiveness of the sports management system in Europe: High achievements, public funding and a healthy lifestyle

The article proposes an original approach to evaluating the effectiveness of the sports management system, which differs from the classical linear and non-linear optimization methods due to its use of quantile regression models. Three main indicators were chosen for creating the quantile regressions: (i) number of participants in the Olympic Games - as a feature of the effectiveness of the high-achievement sports; (ii) total number of people engaged in sports - as a feature of an effective mass sports system, which ensures a healthy lifestyle of the population; and (iii) state expenses on recreational and sports services. The quality of quantile regressions was validated by the Fisher test and the two-factor variance analysis. The research focused on the data of 30 European countries, which officially and publicly provide access to statistical reports on these issues. The countries were divided into two groups with above-average and below-average effectiveness of the sports management system. Two hypotheses were proposed and tested in the study. Hypothesis H1 was that the effectiveness of high-achievement sports depends on the amount of state funding for developing the sports industry. Research results confirmed this hypothesis for countries with an above-average level of sports management system effectiveness, but refuted it for the other group. Hypothesis H2 stated that the more massive the development of sport in a country, i.e., the more people are engaged in sports and lead a healthy lifestyle, the more likely this country is to achieve victories in high-achievement sports. This hypothesis was confirmed for both groups of countries.

Multifunctional and Wearable Patches Based on Flexible Piezoelectric Acoustics for Integrated Sensing, Localization, and Underwater Communication

AbstractFlexible and wearable sensors are highly desired for health monitoring, agriculture, sport, and indoor positioning systems applications. However, the currently developed wireless wearable sensors, which are communicated through radio signals, can only provide limited positioning accuracy and are often ineffective in underwater conditions. In this paper, a wireless platform based on flexible piezoelectric acoustics is developed with multiple functions of sensing, communication, and positioning. Under a high frequency (≈13 MHz) stimulation, Lamb waves are generated for respiratory monitoring. Whereas under low‐frequency stimulation (≈20 kHz), this device is agitated as a vibrating membrane, which can be implemented for communication and positioning applications. Indoor communication is demonstrated within 2.8 m at 200 bps or 4.2 m at 25 bps. In combination with the sensing function, real‐time respiratory monitoring and wireless communication are achieved simultaneously. The distance measurement is achieved based on the phase differences of transmitted and received acoustic signals within a range of 100 cm, with a maximum error of 3 cm. This study offers new insights into the communication and positioning applications using flexible acoustic wave devices, which are promising for wireless and wearable sensor networks.

Cloud-based deep learning-assisted system for diagnosis of sports injuries

At both clinical and diagnostic levels, machine learning technologies could help facilitate medical decision-making. Prediction of sports injuries, for instance, is a key component of avoiding and minimizing injury in motion. Despite significant attempts to forecast sports injuries, the present method is limited by its inability to identify predictors. When designing measures for the avoidance of work-related accidents and the reduction of associated risks, the risk of injury to athletes is a crucial consideration. Various indicators are being evaluated to identify injury risk factors in a number of different methods. Consequently, this paper proposes a Deep Learning-assisted System (DLS) for diagnosing sports injuries using the Internet of Things (IoT) and the concept of cloud computing. The IoT sensors that compose the body area network collect crucial data for the diagnosis of sports injuries, while cloud computing makes available flexible computer system resources and computing power. This research examines the brain injury monitoring framework, uses an optimal neural network to forecast brain injury, and enhances the medical rehabilitation system for sports. Using the metrics accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score, the performance of the proposed model is assessed and compared with current models.

The National Youth Sports Strategy — Implementation in Action

The National Youth Sports Strategy (NYSS) is the first federal roadmap to unite the U.S. youth sports system around a shared vision: that one day all youth will have the opportunity, motivation, and access to play sports. Six months after the NYSS launched, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, disrupting the youth sports system. While the benefits of physical activity and sports participation are well established, rates were low in the United States before the pandemic, and existing disparities likely widened during the pandemic. The NYSS provides a framework for how entities across the youth sports system – from the federal government all the way down to youth participants - can act in pursuit of the NYSS vision. This commentary highlights implementation examples from each level of the NYSS Framework, underscoring the importance of everyone in implementing policies and programs that give all youth an equal opportunity to participate.

Challenging neoliberal sport: Skateboarding as a resilient cultural practice

AbstractThis paper argues that research on sporting cultures can illuminate wider debates over the power relations materialised through the fields of cultural practice. Specifically, as neoliberalism has spread across the social realm, sport has come to mirror and reinforce its logics, placing emphasis on individualised competition and ultimately contributing to the reproduction of neoliberal hegemony more generally. Within this, however, alternative movement‐based practices have emerged that show resilience to this process, offering alternative futures and new ways of being that are not organised by injustice. This paper examines the case of resilience within skateboarding, a cultural practice that champions participation and community values despite its ongoing incorporation into the neoliberal sport system.

Prioritising health in high-performance sport: stakeholder insights into athlete attrition in the pathway

Introduction: How high-performance pathway systems (HPPSs) influence premature athlete attrition is poorly understood, and attrition rates are relatively unknown. The literature primarily focuses on understanding athlete attrition factors from intrapersonal (intrinsic) or interpersonal (extrinsic relationships) perspectives. Limited research investigates the environmental, system or broader societal athlete attrition factors. We used a complex systems approach – operationalised through a socioecological framework to: 1) gain a system-wide perspective on factors influencing athlete attrition from a high-performance sport system (HPSS), and 2) identify what a sample of system-wide stakeholders and past athletes consider the most important and feasible attrition factors to address to retain talented athletes.

ACL injury occurrence in the Australian High Performance Sports System: a 5-year retrospective analysis

Introduction: The Australian High Performance Sport System (AHPSS) comprises the National Institute Network, National Sporting Organisations and other organisations focused on Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games success, and encompasses several sports such as netball and basketball which have a high incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. ACL injuries represent a substantial time, performance and financial burden to athletes and sporting organisations, yet a comprehensive epidemiological profile of the ACL injuries across AHPSS athletes has not been previously reported.

A Systems Theory of Mental Health in Recreational Sport.

The focus on mental health outcomes in sport, including the ways in which mental health can be protected and promoted, has become a major international priority for all sports, including the recreational sports system. The aim of this paper is to outline a systems theory of mental health care and promotion that is specific to needs of the recreational sport system so that context-specific, effective policies, interventions, and models of care can be articulated and tested. Based on general systems theory, we offer a preliminary theory and accompanying postulates that outline the general principles that explain mental health in recreational sports. Namely: one of the purposes of the recreational sport system is to protect and promote the mental health of all involved; the recreational sport system is comprised of components (individuals, groups, organisations, communities, society); the role and function of those components vary by context; the purpose of the system is achieved through coordinated and reciprocal relationships between its components; and, the system should be regulated from within to ensure that mental health is protected and promoted. We have also outlined the ways in which the subcomponents of the system interact, their potential influence on mental health in recreational sports, and the ways in which they may be regulated. This information provides a theoretical foundation upon which research, programming, and policy can be based to protect and promote the mental health of all involved in recreational sports.

Проблемы законодательного регулирования студенческого спорта в Российской Федерации

One of the priorities of the Concept for the Student Sports Development in the Russian Federation until 2025 is to improve the legal regulation of the student sports system and the Intersectoral Program for the student sports development until 2024 provides for a comprehensive update of the legislation on physical culture and sports of the regions of the Russian Federation in terms of student sports. This emphasizes the importance of the development of legislative regulation of student sports both at the federal and regional levels. At the same time, the legislation of student sports is interconnected with the main trends in its development, and since the last amendment to the legislation on physical culture and sports concerning student sports, these trends have been substantially transformed. The following article describes the current state of legislative regulation of student sports by analyzing the provisions of federal and regional legislation of student sports. Then the article defines the presence of regulatory framework for the implementation of the current priorities of student sports development and also identifies problems that interfere with the effective implementation of these priorities.

Core Content, Experience and Enlightenment of CSR in the J-League

In comparison with European and American countries, the CSR of professional sports in Asian countries is affected by many factors due to differences in management system, social environment, etc. At present, the research on CSR of professional sports in Asian countries is very limited, and the practice form of CSR under this special management system has great research space and value. For booming professional sports of China, neighboring Japanese professional sports system is similar to it, and has a more advanced level of professional sports CSR development, which is worthy of further learning and reference for Chinese Super League clubs. Therefore, this study combs the historical background, core content and governance experience of CSR of J League in Japan, and puts forward valuable enlightenment for Chinese Super League clubs. The results show that the CSR of J League in Japan has distinctive characteristics and times, and the Chinese Super League clubs need to combine their own development stages, Chinese national conditions and other factors for reference.

Stuck between medals and participation: an institutional theory perspective on why sport federations struggle to reach Sport-for-All goals

BackgroundSport-for-All emphasizes that every individual has the right to participate in sport. Despite all efforts to deliver Sport-for-All during the past decades, studies indicate that sport participation rates have been stagnating, whereas social inequalities in sport continue to exist. By applying an institutional theory lens, this study sheds light on how the dual mission of sport federations, i.e., providing Sport-for-All and high performance sport, affects the Sport-for-All projects of Flemish sport federations (e.g., amount of projects and target groups). In particular, Sport-for-All projects have to reduce barriers to engage in the sport system and be supported by a sport federation. Furthermore, this study seeks to better understand the impact of the underlying institutional logic on the institutional pressure and legitimacy of the sport federations.MethodThis study implemented a cross-sectional field study in sport federations. In particular, the sport federations selected for our study are the 47 Flemish sport federations. Both qualitative (i.e., document analysis) and quantitative research methods (i.e., a new questionnaire was developed based on institutional theory) were applied in the study.ResultsResults indicated that sport federations are important partners in support of Sport-for-All projects, but also suggested that there is a discrepancy between the projects of the high performance-oriented and the Sport-for-All-oriented federations. Specifically, the high performance-oriented federations were targeting youth participants, whereas Sport-for-all-oriented federations aimed to reach disadvantaged groups. Furthermore, the results indicated that high performance-oriented federations endured more institutional pressure than Sport-for-All-oriented federations.ConclusionThe results of our study indicated that the Sport-for-All projects of performance-oriented federations are often more superficial compared to Sport-for-All oriented federations, and that the latter federations play an important role in attaining public health targets. Moreover, policymakers should consider how they can optimize the role of the performance-oriented federations in the Sport-for-All delivery (e.g., they could function as a bridge to guide participants who prefer a less competitive setting towards Sport-for-All oriented federations).