7 research outputs found
How skateboarding made it to the Olympics: an institutional perspective
Utilizing new institutionalism and resource-dependency theory this paper examines the organisational context within which skateboarding has developed and is continuing to develop. As a radical lifestyle activity, many within the sport of skateboarding have sought to distance themselves from the institutionalized competitive structure exemplified by the modern Olympic Games, despite a steady growth in competitive skateboarding within increasingly formal structures. The aim of this paper is to explore how the sport has operationally evolved and how, as a major youth sport, Olympic inclusion has impacted on its organisational arrangements. Data were collected through a series of semi-structured interviews and supplemented by selected secondary sources including social media analysis, sport regulations and policy statements. The conclusions of the research are: 1) unlike many other sports, skateboarding has always functioned as a network which includes event organizers, media companies, and equipment producers, with governing bodies playing a more peripheral role; 2) there was a strong lobby from elite skateboarders in support of inclusion in the Olympics although only on skateboarders terms; 3) interest from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which eventually led to the inclusion of skateboarding in the 2020 Olympic Games, has affected the organisational evolution of skateboarding over the last decade and has stressed issues of organisational legitimacy in this sport
Organizational evolution and the Olympic Games: the case of sport climbing
This paper discusses the processes underpinning the evolutionary development of sport climbing in recent decades, with a particular focus on the impact of its inclusion in the Olympic Games. New institutionalism and resource-dependence theory provide an analytical and explanatory framework for this study. The research adopted a qualitative method strategy comprising a series of interviews and the analysis of documents, reports, press and social media. The recent inclusion of the sport in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic programme has created challenges, primarily because of strong values inherent within the sport. The research, however, shows that the values of a sport can expand and develop in order to fit the regulatory legitimacy required by inclusion in the Olympic Games. Nonetheless, the research also shows that involvement with the IOC raises questions about who âownsâ the sport
International Governance of Action Sports: An Organisational Legitimacy Perspective
Over the last two decades, âactionâ sports have become very popular and joined the Olympic movement. Principles of their international governance have not been clear though, so the purpose of this chapter is to illustrate how action sports have organisationally evolved and how the Olympic movement affected their governance. Organisational legitimacy, one of the key notions of the new institutional theory, was utilised as theoretical framework for three case studies: snowboarding, skateboarding and sport climbing. Key informants in these action sports were interviewed, and a wide range of relevant documents, articles and online sources were studied. It emerged that cultural legitimacy in action sports often does not correspond to regulatory legitimacy within the Olympic governance frameworks. Some serious concerns were raised about the legitimization of action sports based only on their technical characteristics and the applicability of an âumbrellaâ governance to action sports
Government policy responses to Covid-19 in sport:a comparative study of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, UK and the USA
Training During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices of 12,526 Athletes from 142 Countries and Six Continents (vol 52, pg 933, 2021)
Washif JA, Farooq A, Krug I, et al. Training During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices of 12,526 Athletes from 142 Countries and Six Continents (vol 52, pg 933, 2021). Sports Medicine . 2022;52:933-948.Objective
Our objective was to explore the training-related knowledge, beliefs, and practices of athletes and the influence of lockdowns in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Methods
Athletes (nâ=â12,526, comprising 13% world class, 21% international, 36% national, 24% state, and 6% recreational) completed an online survey that was available from 17 May to 5 July 2020 and explored their training behaviors (training knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, and practices), including specific questions on their training intensity, frequency, and session duration before and during lockdown (MarchâJune 2020).
Results
Overall, 85% of athletes wanted to âmaintain training,â and 79% disagreed with the statement that it is âokay to not train during lockdown,â with a greater prevalence for both in higher-level athletes. In total, 60% of athletes considered âcoaching by correspondence (remote coaching)â to be sufficient (highest amongst world-class athletes). During lockdown,â<â40% were able to maintain sport-specific training (e.g., long endurance [39%], interval training [35%], weightlifting [33%], plyometric exercise [30%]) at pre-lockdown levels (higher among world-class, international, and national athletes), with most (83%) training for âgeneral fitness and health maintenanceâ during lockdown. Athletes trained alone (80%) and focused on bodyweight (65%) and cardiovascular (59%) exercise/training during lockdown. Compared with before lockdown, most athletes reported reduced training frequency (from between five and seven sessions per week to four or fewer), shorter training sessions (fromââ„â60 toâ<â60 min), and lower sport-specific intensity (~â38% reduction), irrespective of athlete classification.
Conclusions
COVID-19-related lockdowns saw marked reductions in athletic training specificity, intensity, frequency, and duration, with notable within-sample differences (by athlete classification). Higher classification athletes had the strongest desire to âmaintainâ training and the greatest opposition to ânot trainingâ during lockdowns. These higher classification athletes retained training specificity to a greater degree than others, probably because of preferential access to limited training resources. More higher classification athletes considered âcoaching by correspondenceâ as sufficient than did lower classification athletes. These lockdown-mediated changes in training were not conducive to maintenance or progression of athletesâ physical capacities and were also likely detrimental to athletesâ mental health. These data can be used by policy makers, athletes, and their multidisciplinary teams to modulate their practice, with a degree of individualization, in the current and continued pandemic-related scenario. Furthermore, the data may drive training-related educational resources for athletes and their multidisciplinary teams. Such upskilling would provide athletes with evidence to inform their training modifications in response to germane situations (e.g., COVID related, injury, and illness)
Training during the COVID-19 lockdown : knowledge, beliefs, and practices of 12,526 athletes from 142 countries and six continents
OBJECTIVE Our objective was to explore the training-related knowledge, beliefs, and practices of athletes and the influence of
lockdowns in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
METHODS Athletes (n = 12,526, comprising 13% world class, 21% international, 36% national, 24% state, and 6% recreational)
completed an online survey that was available from 17 May to 5 July 2020 and explored their training behaviors (training
knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, and practices), including specific questions on their training intensity, frequency, and session
duration before and during lockdown (MarchâJune 2020).
RESULTS Overall, 85% of athletes wanted to âmaintain training,â and 79% disagreed with the statement that it is âokay to not
train during lockdown,â with a greater prevalence for both in higher-level athletes. In total, 60% of athletes considered âcoaching
by correspondence (remote coaching)â to be sufficient (highest amongst world-class athletes). During lockdown, < 40%
were able to maintain sport-specific training (e.g., long endurance [39%], interval training [35%], weightlifting [33%], most (83%) training for âgeneral fitness and health maintenanceâ during lockdown. Athletes trained alone (80%) and focused
on bodyweight (65%) and cardiovascular (59%) exercise/training during lockdown. Compared with before lockdown, most
athletes reported reduced training frequency (from between five and seven sessions per week to four or fewer), shorter training
sessions (from â„ 60 to < 60 min), and lower sport-specific intensity (~ 38% reduction), irrespective of athlete classification.
CONCLUSIONS COVID-19-related lockdowns saw marked reductions in athletic training specificity, intensity, frequency, and
duration, with notable within-sample differences (by athlete classification). Higher classification athletes had the strongest
desire to âmaintainâ training and the greatest opposition to ânot trainingâ during lockdowns. These higher classification
athletes retained training specificity to a greater degree than others, probably because of preferential access to limited training
resources. More higher classification athletes considered âcoaching by correspondenceâ as sufficient than did lower
classification athletes. These lockdown-mediated changes in training were not conducive to maintenance or progression of
athletesâ physical capacities and were also likely detrimental to athletesâ mental health. These data can be used by policy
makers, athletes, and their multidisciplinary teams to modulate their practice, with a degree of individualization, in the
current and continued pandemic-related scenario. Furthermore, the data may drive training-related educational resources
for athletes and their multidisciplinary teams. Such upskilling would provide athletes with evidence to inform their training
modifications in response to germane situations (e.g., COVID related, injury, and illness).A specific funding was provided by the National Sports Institute
of Malaysia for this study.The National Sports Institute of Malaysia.https://www.springer.com/journal/40279am2023Sports Medicin