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With more transition or developing economies hosting major sports events (MSE), it is increasingly relevant to research how they can impact sport organisations' capacity in such environments. Using the Gaborone 2014 African Youth Games (AYG) as its research setting, the goal of this paper is to investigate how hosting a MSE can impact the perceived organisational capacity of sporting organisations within the context of a developing or transition economy. Data were gathered through 13 semi-structured interviews. Results are deductively coded and presented according to Hall et al.'s (2003) conceptualisation of organisational capacity. Results show that individuals perceived positive capacity outcomes related to skill development, international relationships and, in some instances, material resources. Conversely, adverse outcomes included lack of opportunities to apply new skills, strained relationships, and unmet financial expectations. Moreover, the findings reveal that the AYG generated similar capacity outcomes as other MSEs, but that the relative impact of those outcomes may differ. The findings re-emphasise the need for hosts to engage in strategic management to maximise positive capacity outcomes. Researchers are encouraged to investigate the impact of MSEs on sport organisations using multiple methods and settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical examinations of the sport for development (SfD) field have highlighted concerns related to an emphasis on individual-level solutions and outcomes and the reinforcement of current neoliberal power structures. As such, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how SfD organisations use their annual reports to frame social problems, define the causes of those problems, the role of sport in crafting solutions to development problems, and make moral judgements related to their work in the SfD sector. Using framing theory as a framework, a qualitative content analysis of the annual reports from 2019 to 2021 of five prominent SfD organisations was conducted. The researchers used an open coding methodology to develop a codebook based on the four functions of framing: defining problems, identifying causes, determining solutions, and making moral judgements. The analysis revealed a lack of consistent salience of social problems except for the COVID-19 pandemic. The causes for these problems were largely ignored within the annual report documents; instead, organisations focused on the solutions they were working to implement. Solutions were framed primarily through the expansion or continuance of their active programming, bolstering the claim that their active SfD efforts are working. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, there has been increased recognition of the size and role of the coaching workforce in Europe. This has led the European Commission to increase its focus on sport coaching and call upon Member States to take steps towards its regulation or professionalisation. However, despite this policy direction, the academic literature, albeit limited to a handful of European countries, has been critical of sport coaching's capacity and need to move towards a more professionalised status. The purpose of our paper is to begin a discussion about the current and future state of sport coaching across Europe. To do so, we will present the results of an expert survey that provides baseline quantitative data on the current state of coaching across 26 European countries. Results show mixed, but potentially higher than expected, systemic professionalisation of coaching in Europe, though there are also substantial regional differences. We also find significant deficits in national data collection and management; this severely limits the development of a clearer picture and diminishes policymaking. In response to these findings, we propose potential avenues for research and policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of team diversity on work performance have been extensively studied both in general and sport-specific context, often yielding mixed results. However, little research exists on the impact of that diversity in the context of ice hockey. Though the sport is not as diverse as others, such as football, it has greatly increased its global footprint over the last 20 years. This paper looks at the impact of national diversity on overall team performance. Using data from NHL teams between 2007 and 2011, national diversity on each squad is calculated in three ways: Richness, the Gini-Simpson Index and Shannon's Entropy. Controlling for team payroll and strength of schedule, we run correlations, linear regressions, logistic regressions and ordinal regressions to assess the effect of diversity on both regular season and playoff performance. Ultimately, we find that national diversity has no significant impact on team performance. We conclude by discussing potential explanations for this finding and propose further avenues of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]