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Objective: The emigration of elite athletes from Iran has adversely affected the nation's growth and development. This study seeks to identify the determinants influencing the migration of elite Iranian athletes. Methods and Materials: This research utilized a qualitative approach employing systematic grounded theory methodology. Participants were purposefully selected and included male and female national athletes who had changed citizenship and relocated abroad for athletic purposes. Data collection was conducted through 10 Persian and English articles and 16 interviews. Findings: The data analysis resulted in the identification of 136 initial codes. These codes were consolidated into 12 subcategories, which included personal reasons, sports growth and development, favorable conditions in the destination country, personal weaknesses and psychological elements, resources, facilities and infrastructure, economic problems in the country, financial issues for athletes, sports management weaknesses, political restrictions, cultural challenges, and social issues. Furthermore, these subcategories were organized into three main categories: intra-personal factors, economic factors, and extra-personal factors. Conclusion: The study suggests that senior officials should address discriminatory perspectives, ensure justice within the sports sector, provide equal opportunities, enhance management practices, offer economic support to athletes, combat discrimination, decouple politics from sports, and respect the privacy of athletes, particularly women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This 4-page publication is one in the series Risk Management for 4-H Youth Development Work. It discusses the 4-H Shooting Sports Program, which teaches young people the safe and responsible use of firearms, principles of archery, and hunting basics. Written by Jerry Culen, Dale Pracht, Paula Davis, Stefanie Prevatt, and Janet Psikogios and published by the UF/IFAS 4-H Youth Development Department, June 2018. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/4h390

This study aimed to identify the effect of trust in and contents of sports-related policies during COVID-19 on public policy satisfaction and examine the relationship between policy satisfaction and sports participation intention. People living in Korea were selected as the study population using convenience sampling, and 441 responses were collected using an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0. The results indicated that policy trust had a positive effect on policy satisfaction in the order of consistency, expertise, and existing policy performance. In addition, social equity, market responsiveness, and policy effectiveness, which are sub-factors of policy content, had a positive effect on policy satisfaction. Furthermore, sports policy satisfaction had a negative effect on sports participation intention. This study suggests that the government should equally consider policy trust and content when establishing sports-related policies and strive to establish policies based on the positive functions of sports. Plain Language Summary: What is the effect of the COVID-19 policy on the intention to participate in sports? Our study began with the question of "How closely the government's sports-related policies during COVID-19 affect infection prevention?" Despite the fact that positive outcomes of physical development, emotional stability, and social harmony can be achieved through sports, we attempt to verify whether policies that restrict sports participation are effective. To this end, the relationship between sports policy, policy satisfaction, and intention to participate in sports was investigated. Data on the period of COVID-19 were collected and analyzed. As a result, first, the government should consider policy consistency, expertise, and existing policy performance complexly in the policy-making process. Second, it is necessary to construct a policy that considers social equity, market responsiveness, and policy effectiveness in implementing sports-related policies. Third, the government should come up with a sports-related policy that can elicit public understanding and empathy, not a rather rigid policy that restricts the use of sports facilities. As such, this study provides meaningful implications for the government's effective sports-related policy establishment by verifying the effect of sports-related policy trust and content on satisfaction, and further clarifying the relationship between policy satisfaction and sports participation intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New sport policies often prompt organizations in the field to alter their structures and processes. Little is known, however, about the tactics of those leading institutional change around sport policy. To address this gap, the authors draw on the concept of institutional entrepreneurship—the activities of actors who leverage resources to create institutional change. Using a qualitative case study approach, the authors examine how two coalitions that served as institutional entrepreneurs in Washington and Oregon created and passed the first youth sport concussion legislation in the United States. The analysis of this study reveals that these coalitions (including victims' families, sport organizations, advocacy groups, and concussion specialists) engaged in political, technical, and cultural activities through the use of specific tactics that allowed them to harness expertise and resources and generate support for the legislation. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggest a sequencing to these activities, captured in a model of institutional entrepreneurship around sport policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between sports and politics has extensively contributed to shaping the sports system, which is evident in the creation of sports facilities and institutions in Hungary. The legal framework of sports organizations, potential of elite and grassroots athletes, incorporation of Hungarian sports into the international sports structure, and public financial funding of physical activity have been dependent on the dominant political powers and existing international diplomatic relationships. The history of sports facility development in Budapest and the role of capital in organising international sporting events faced new political challenges after World War II. During the socialist era, the main role of sports was to prove the excellence of the socialist system; therefore, political leadership provided funds to create a suitable environment for top athletes to train and compete. After the political and economic transition of 1989–1990, sports encountered the challenges of an unfamiliar market economy. After a decade of adaptation, from the beginning of the twenty-first century, sports assumed a new strategic role in creating a healthier society, which included significant investments in Budapest's sports infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research based on the theoretical framework of globalisation focuses on the development of gender equality policy in the Olympic Movement and the implementation of IOC's gender equality policy in the context of Chinese elite volleyball. In addition to documentary analysis, 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key insiders within Chinese elite volleyball system to provide a comprehensive understanding of the IOC's gender equality policy implementation. The analysis involved perspectives of athletes' participation, coaching positions, and leadership roles according to three main elements of the IOC's gender equality policy. The findings demonstrated that the responses of Chinese elite volleyball to IOC's gender equality policy are participative, conflictual, and passive in terms of the gender balance of athletes' participation, coaches' positions, and the representation of leadership roles respectively. IOC recommended subordinated stakeholders including NOCs to implement gender equality policy. The attitude of Chinese elite volleyball governing body towards gender equality is generally positive. However, IOC's gender equality policy is not consistently transferred at national level. Policy might be implemented with symbolic measure in China without monitoring system. Referees should be included in policy contents in addition to athletes, coaches and leaders. In addition, since IOC's gender equality policy and statistics have been keeping updated, further results with respect to the case of volleyball should be demonstrated in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Initially developed by New Zealand Rugby in 2014, the Blue Card initiative in rugby enables match officials to remove athletes from play if they are suspected to have sustained a concussion. Considerable attention has been paid by sport and health advocates to the possibilities and limitations of this initiative in safeguarding athlete health. However, little if any attention has been paid to the well-being of those responsible for administering the Blue Card (i.e., match officials). The aim of this paper was to examine match officials’ experiences with and perspectives on implementing the Blue Card initiative in Ontario, Canada, with focused attention on the tensions around their ability to manage games and participants (e.g., athletes, coaches) while attempting to safeguard athlete well-being. Methods: Using Relational Coordination Theory (RCT) as a guiding framework and qualitative research method, we highlight the rich accounts of 19 match officials’ perspectives and experiences regarding sport-related concussion (SRC) management and the Blue Card protocol. Results: Four themes were derived from the data, reflecting latent assumptions embedded within the concussion management process, which include: assumptions of trust, respect, and cooperation; assumptions of shared responsibility; assumptions of shared understanding; and assumptions of harassment-free sport. Discussion: Our findings emphasize the need to attend to social relations in concussion management and provide insight into match officials’ fraught experiences on the frontlines of concussion management. We identify factors affecting match official well-being and provide considerations for concussion management initiatives designed to improve athlete safety, such as the Blue Card. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O objetivo do presente texto foi apresentar o estado da arte dos estudos sobre as modalidades esportivas de combate (MEC). Inicialmente, é destacada a relevância destas modalidades, tanto do ponto de vista histórico, quanto em relação à sua representatividade em competições internacionais, como os Jogos Olímpicos. Também são apresentadas as áreas mais comuns de atuação do profissional de Esporte nas MEC, bem como as iniciativas de organização de eventos, publicações, grupos de estudos e instituições científicas direcionadas às MEC. Posteriormente, estudos com possibilidade de aplicação em diferentes áreas de intervenção - preparação física, técnica e tática, gestão e organização - por parte do profissional do Esporte foram destacados. Finalmente, perspectivas de novos estudos e aspectos relacionados à preparação profissional são evidenciados.The objective of the present text was to present the state of art of studies related to combat sports (CS). Initially, it is presented the relevancy of these sports, from a historical perspective to its representativeness in international competitions, as the Olympic Games. The common areas of Sport's professional intervention, the initiatives of events, publications, research groups and scientific organizations related to the CS are also presented. Additionally, studies applied to different areas of Sport's professional intervention - physical training, technical and tactical preparation, management and organization - were also illustrated. Finally, perspectives of new studies and aspects related to professional preparation were reported.

Multilevel examinations of sport policy institutionalization are scarce in sport management scholarship. As sport policies diffuse across geographic boundaries, there is often variation in the timing of adoption. In this study, the authors used event history analysis to examine the effect of institutional factors, within and between states, on the speed of youth sport concussion legislation adoption. Our quantitative analyses show that a series of intrastate factors—state norms, disruptive events, and local advocacy—had a significant influence on the timing of state policy adoption, but interstate social networks did not. Supporting qualitative data provide additional insight about the relationship between disruptive events and local advocacy in the adoption of concussion legislation. This study contributes to a better understanding of institutional factors in the diffusion of sport policy across geographic boundaries and offers an approach for future research examining variation in sport policy or practice adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the performance of sport politics. We carry out a text analysis of a year-long media debate that raged in Norwegian newspapers throughout 2016. After the Medias had critiqued how the Norwegian Confederation of Sports (NIF) spends state-provided funds, the Minister of Culture questioned the alleged civil contribution from NIF and demanded change. An archival search retrieved 488 articles and 1604 pages on the matter. Performance theory clarifies the debaters' failure and success in achieving sport political legitimacy. Success was an ongoing achievement contingent upon the actors' abilities to apply broadly available representations in the pragmatics of the dispute. Drawing on Norwegian codes of equality and by polluting the image of NIF, the Minister of Culture eventually managed to reshape Norwegian sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Les sports occidentaux font partie des activités de loisirs qui ont été transférées en Indochine par les conquérants français. D'abord réservées à ces derniers, ces activités sont ensuite pratiquées par certaines fractions des élites locales en quête de transformation individuelle et collective. Un gouverneur général a joué un rôle essentiel dans ce processus d'acculturation: Pierre Pasquier a ainsi utilisé les sports pour rapprocher les élites indochinoises de la France dès 1929. Il a donc élaboré la première politique des sports en Indochine. Cet article analyse les motivations et les moyens utilisés par ce haut fonctionnaire entre 1929 et 1934. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between women's sports, female physical education, and liberal reformism is pivotal to understanding gender relations in Colombia from 1930 to 1946. The Liberal Republic was a political period when public officials placed cultural reforms at the centre of governmental attempts to 'transform' and 'modernise' Colombia. Print media, official correspondence, and legislation are crucial to grasping women's reactions to the advancement of female physical culture and how they publicly advocated for its implementation. The endeavours of the Liberal Republic to promote physical culture at the national level highlight the way in which their reformism worked in everyday life and uncover how female educators and sports enthusiasts discussed and embraced the government's initiatives from below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport in Finland has a fundamental societal role as the nation’s favourite pastime, serving also various instrumentally defined social goals. Finland for a long time combined significant successes in elite sport with high levels of physical activity among the population. In recent years, the successes, particularly in individual sports, declined but Finland remains the European country with the highest share of the population being physically active. The paper approaches these peculiarities, tracking Finnish sports’ historical institutional roots and transformations over the years. Elaborating on the recent reforms of the sports policy, the article points to two crucial processes. The first concerns the transformation of sports policy in accordance with neoliberal ideas, whereas the second relates to the depoliticisation of sport-related policymaking in Finland. The latter phenomenon is particularly interesting given the long-lasting tradition of class-based, political divisions relating to the field of sport in the Finnish context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract:Introduction: Cycling can confer public mental health advantages for diverse populations, attenuating stressors and strengthening prosocial engagement. Conversely, competitive conditions in high-performance domains may entail prominent psychiatric risk factors that require bespoke interventions. In other sports, certain national federations have introduced mental health schemes for various target populations. However, the extent to which comparable approaches have been adopted across cycling remains unclear. Methods: We sought to gain broader insights into whether European cycling federations (ECFs) have implemented dedicated programmes around mental health, focussing on N=51 ECFs affiliated with the international regulator, the Union Cycliste Internationale. Initially, a search was conducted of ECF websites. Where apposite materials were unavailable, ECFs were contacted via email and phone. Results: 62% of total ECFs (N=32) were captured in the results. Findings were analysed and coded to three categories, namely: "ECF-level literature or initiatives", "No ECF-level literature or initiatives", and "No response". Based on our interpretation, of these N=32 ECFs, n=7 (22%) highlighted literature and strategies either on their website or during contact phases. The remaining n=25 (78%) ECFs noted no official policies or initiatives. Conclusion: Across included ECFs, there appears to be limited consideration about developing mental health schemes, potentially conditioned by resource constraints or disparate organisational priorities and regulations. For those ECFs with relevant programmes, the majority focussed on high-performance contexts, with less attention towards the relationship between cycling and mental health in broader demographics. Accordingly, evidence from different associations and sports could guide effective, tailored approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can Global Sporting Governing Bodies (GSGBs) like the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) take a stand on political issues in places where a sporting event which comes under their aegis is being held without compromising their own position as neutral governing bodies of sport? Drawing upon a historical sociological approach and using the FIA and the Formula 1 world motorsport championship as its key example, this paper argues that one reason why controversy about this is growing is because FIA's current power structures were established in an era less suited to today's world of sports and stakeholdership. In order to change, we need to review the historical processes that shaped current power relations between the GSGB and its stakeholders and, through that, identify an alternative view of power which may resolve the dilemma which the relation between sport and politics currently throws up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much like a state, Puerto Rico is self-governed, but cannot interfere with federal law. However, sports federations in Puerto Rico are not governed by the existing applicable federal law. Sports federations are avoiding most of the strict regulations imposed by federal acts, mainly because Puerto Rico has its own Olympic identity, and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a separate country. As a result, the language on the federal acts has been interpreted to only apply to those organizations representing the United States. Because of this, federations avoid strict auditing procedures, and other regulations, which consequently have deterred athlete's rights, as well as the long-term development of sports on the island. Using the New Haven School of Thought, also known as Policy-Oriented Jurisprudence, this article analyzes the problem of lack of regulation in sports in Puerto Rico, how it has impacted the community, presents the decisions made to address this issue, and develops recommendations to improve solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, often misunderstood as a reflection of the nationalist hyper-patriotism of the Reagan Era, were in fact a crucial moment in building a neoliberal, global Los Angeles. Tracing the development of LA'84's Olympic look 'festive federalism', this article considers the ways in which organizers in fact made strenuous efforts not to associate the Games with the nation state. It argues that festive federalism – the name given to the colour scheme and iconography of LA'84 design – was more than just an Olympic look. Rather, it was a neoliberal aesthetic, a philosophy for confronting economic challenges posed by local racial contexts. Festive federalism celebrated diversity and colourblindness simultaneously and extolled the neoliberal virtues of individualism, competition, and self-reliance. In doing so, it nullified the risk posed to the Games' profitability by race-based demands in communities of colour nearby to Olympic venues. In place of race, festive federalism called for a new type of individualistic, post-racial citizen-consumer. Analyzing the application of festive federalism to the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival, this article demonstrates how culture redefined race, national identity, and history for a new, neoliberal age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the institutional development of the Olympic movement in the Philippines from the American period to the contemporary era as it operates within the values of 'Excellence, Respect and Friendship' of Olympism. Using Bowen's document analysis as a qualitative tool, the paper highlights the institutional changes and policy reforms in the Philippine sports governance in the development of the Olympic movement with emphasis on the promotion of athlete welfare in the Philippines. As an added dimension, the paper offers a passing review of the recent Olympic athletes' protest in the Philippines and analyses the underlying assumptions of Filipino athletes' passivity on social issues. Furthermore, the paper examines the significance of the Philippines Olympic Committee (POC) Athletes' Commission in addressing the athletes' rights and welfare as it interrelates and aligns itself with the goals and objectives of the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission. More importantly, the paper proposes an Input-Process-Output-Outcome/Result (IPOOR) Model to measure the success of the POC Athletes' Commission qualitatively in terms of the three levels of analysis espoused by the IOC Athlete's Commission namely, input, output, and results, as ways forward in the promotion and development of the strategies, programmes, and projects of the Philippine Olympic movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the Second World War, sports communities in the areas incorporated into Poland became more active. The influx of settlers led to the creation of new organizations, which were based on prewar organizational patterns and traditions. Right from the outset, the People's Government utilized athletes for political and propaganda purposes. This was primarily aimed at integrating the 'Recovered Territories' with the rest of the country, a process that unfolded notably in Szczecin, the main urban center in Western Pomerania. The governing power harnessed the enthusiasm and zeal of the youth, along with the belief that sports are apolitical. Following the adaptation of the organizational structure of sports to the Soviet model, the mass indoctrination of sports communities commenced in 1950. The Communists began leveraging activists and athletes without constraints to promote a new ideology, with the goal of aligning society with the state policy of that era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the impact that foreign investments in professional sports have on the twentyfirst century geopolitical landscape and global economy as a whole. Using the LIV Golf tour, World Cup, Olympics, the Premier League, and the NBA's relationship with China as case studies, this study seeks to understand how sports has been used to normalize the rise of authoritarian capitalism around the world and how that affects our ability to respond to crises around the world, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan, the killing of Jamal Khashoggi that was ordered by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the FIFA bribery scandal that resulted in the 2022 World Cup being held in Qatar, and more. Professional sports will be used to highlight that perhaps capitalism and democracy are not as synonymous as many people believe, while also highlighting the spread of capitalism since the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union did not lead to the expansion of democracy nearly as much due to international finance prioritizing one over the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 triggered widespread reactions. The global call for the isolation of Russia and its collaborator Belarus has also involved the world of sport, leading to the expulsion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions. The decisions leading to the expulsion were analyzed from the perspective of their factors, timing, and the international sports organizations' (ISOs) traditional approach to mixing sport and politics. During these developments, various stakeholders have been exerting pressure on the ISOs by voicing their expectations towards sanctioning Russia and even using the threat of boycott. Multiple Streams Framework has been employed in an attempt to understand the decision-making processes of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), demonstrating that external pressure has played the overriding role in the process leading to the isolation of Russia and Belarus in international sport, marking the continuation of the recent evolution of ISOs' approach to the interconnection between politics and sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation examined how a network of knowledge-based professionals—the Canadian Sport for Life Leadership Team (CS4LLT)—as a newly emerging organizational form was able to influence the Canadian sport policy and governance process in an attempt to reshape Canadian sport. The analysis draws upon the epistemic community approach (Haas, 1992; Haas & Adler, 1992) and empirical data collected as part of an in-depth case study examination into the leadership team and senior Sport Canada officials. The findings support the notion that the CS4LLT, as a network of knowledge-based professionals with legitimated and authoritative and policy-relevant expertise (epistemic community), was able to influence the Canadian sport policy process through (i) influencing key governmental actors by (re)framing policy-relevant issues and (ii) establishing knowledge/truth claims surrounding athlete development, which, in turn, enabled direct and indirect involvement in and influence over the sport policy renewal process. More broadly, the study draws attention to the potential role and importance of knowledge-based professional networks as a fluid, dynamic, and responsive approach to organizing and managing sport that can reframe policy debates, insert ideas, and enable policy learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College athletics have transformed with the advent of new name, image, and likeness (NIL) policies, permitting student-athletes to earn compensation in exchange for the use of their NILs. This development was driven by a series of court decisions, ultimately constraining the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) authority and capacity to enforce its compensation-prohibiting rules. State legislatures have adopted NIL laws in an effort to obtain competitive advantages for in-state educational institutions (“institutions”), resulting in a patchwork of NIL regulations across the United States. In the midst of this varied NIL regulatory landscape, the NCAA is ill-equipped to enforce NIL rules, the market values of NILs are shrouded in mystery, and entities unaffiliated with institutions have been able to avoid accountability for sex discrimination. Though numerous federal NIL bills have been proposed in both the House and Senate, no proposal has gained traction due to the inclusion of controversial provisions. This Comment proposes a comprehensive federal scheme for NIL regulation, combining core provisions from state NIL laws, considering the failures of previous federal proposals, and addressing issues regarding the actions of collectives in the NIL dealmaking process. Specifically, this federal scheme calls for the creation of a central oversight entity with subpoena power to regulate the NIL marketplace, an express preemption of state NIL laws, the incorporation of foundational provisions from state NIL legislation, mandatory disclosure of NIL deals, the participation of institutions in the dealmaking process, and a requirement for collectives to affiliate with institutions. The combination of these provisions would allow student-athletes to earn fair market NIL compensation while being protected from discrimination in the dealmaking process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]