Scandals have been characterized as catalysts of contentious actions of fringe stakeholders against powerful organizations, which might even transform a political opportunity structure. Such claims ignore, however, that the abundance of scandals, media logic, and crisis management routines strongly favors individual "scapegoating", limiting the impact of scandals. Hence, marginalized actors aiming to exploit scandals might need strong political allies and should not refrain from contentious actions. We provide support for our arguments by investigating the "kissing scandal" surrounding the Spanish women's national football team. The scandal was sparked by an unsolicited kiss by the president of the Spanish Football Association, Luis Rubiales, to the team's striker, Jennifer Hermoso, immediately after the team won the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia. Although the scandal made headlines around the world, it only left a limited impact on Spanish football governance due to a highly favorable political opportunity structure and the willingness of women's activists to engage in further contentious action. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Research questionThis study investigates the interpretation and implementation of the Football Association's (FA) Code of Governance by County Football Associations (CFAs) in the East of England. It analyses the initial policy response, implementation dynamics and perceived impact of this attempt to modernise grassroots football structures in England.Research methodsData were collected through semi-structured interviews (n = 20) with executive directors and governing board members, FA national and regional managers, and steering/working group members.Results and findingsThe findings reveal a mixed reaction to the code, driven primarily by the pursuit of funding and the looming threat of an independent regulator. The implementation process has yielded both significant benefits (e.g. improved board performance and transparency) and considerable challenges (e.g. increased workload, structural changes, and inconsistent implementation). Ultimately, the code has produced demonstrable structural and processual change but has yet to be culturally embedded within CFAs or the wider network.ImplicationsThis study offers an in-depth analysis of how good governance codes are being interpreted and implemented at the sub-national level and in grassroots sport, providing valuable insights for other sports and countries looking to implement similar governance codes.

Rationale: The paper examines which themes drove the collective action of football fans against the project of a European SuperLeague in 2021. Design: Two unique datasets on the Twitter discourse about the Super League project were retrieved. Themes were analyzed using methods of inductive content analyses. Legitimacy gains and losses were measured using a dictionary approach. Findings: Supporters invoked a logic of autotelism insisting on maintaining sporting merit and a logic of identity claiming fan ownership of clubs. However, the fan protests might primarily reinforce the status quo and not inspire a fundamental reform. Practical implications: Institutional tensions within European football are likely to persist. Given strong supporter preferences for the institutional status quo, European football clubs appear to be trapped in disequilibrium economics, which should discourage profit-oriented investors. Research contribution: Regarding institutional theory, the findings suggest that a strong stakeholder preference for institutional complexity represents a decisive barrier for institutional entrepreneurs trying to shift dominant logics.

This paper presents the contemporary development of the sport ecosystem in Kosovo. Despite having neither de jure recognition nor a chair in the UN, Kosovo managed to ensure a seat at global sport forums and secured podium spots at major sport events. Although heavily supported by Western countries and institutions, the internal challenges of Kosovo remain complex, particularly in terms of creating inclusive environments and public policies. This paper is structured around key policy features and structures of Kosovo's sport ecosystem and presents the role of the primary public and non-governmental actors. After its declaration of independence in 2008, the political support and institutions that are necessary to formulate a strategic direction and develop public policies for sport have been limited, with a centralised concentration of power within the public sector. Additionally, the current organisational structure of sport lacks a clear autonomy, which creates challenges for the implementation of sport policies in the future. An analysis of documents confirms that the use of an evidence-based approach and the development and implementation of policies has been inconsistent.

EDITORIAL article Front. Sports Act. Living, 14 February 2024Sec. The History, Culture and Sociology of Sports Volume 6 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1381076

The rulings of the CJEU in Superleague , Royal Antwerp and ISU endorse some of the characteristics of the European Model of Sport without explicitly referring to it. The Court recognises across the three judgments the specific nature of sport, the cultural importance of sport in Europe, the primacy of sporting merit and equal opportunities in sport competitions, and the relevance of redistribution to maintain amateur and commercial sport intertwined. The CJEU also acknowledges the legitimacy of sport governing bodies as regulators of their sport, but severely limits their autonomy to do so. The judgments are extremely critical of sport governance structures in two main areas: policy-making processes, and accountability mechanisms. The latter is severely criticised with demands for sport federations to produce thorough and convincing evidence that could demonstrate the benefits of their anticompetitive rules and regulations, so they can be granted and exemption under EU law. Furthermore, the Court criticises forced arbitration through the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The judgments assert the primacy of EU law over politics in European sport regulation, whilst also reinforcing the supervised nature of sport autonomy in the European Union. The judgments can also be interpreted as a warning to the Commission, European Parliament, and Council of the EU on the limits of Article 165 TFEU in the development of a European sport policy.

The contentious actions of Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation, following the FIFA Women's World Cup final sparked debates about his aptitude to lead the national governing body. Compelled to stand down, Rubiales faced dual three-year bans, one imposed by FIFA and the other by the Spanish government. This paper contends that the emergence of unskilled and controversial figures, exemplified by Rubiales, within the realm of Spanish sports leadership is a manifestation of the insufficient emphasis on sound governance. The governance framework of Spanish sport, notably the internal structures of national federations, coupled with a general neglect of governance standards, are compounded by a restrained regulatory stance by public authorities. This creates a context prone to clientelism, lack of accountability and lack of innovation. The reform of the National Sports Act in 2022 represents a squandered opportunity to enhance governance standards in Spanish sport. The paper scrutinises the governance provisions of the National Sports Act and compares international sport governance standards with the structures of Spanish sport federations. The article concludes that the conduct of leaders like Luis Rubiales is not a problem, but rather a symptom of Spanish sport's disregard for contemporary governance standards.

to age, sex, lung function, and earlier use of modulators, no differences in change over time were observed after initiation of ETI.Participants younger than 18 and with lung function lower than 70% at baseline had structurally better mental well-being than older participants ( p = 0.048) and participants with lower lung function ( p = 0.02).Approximately 20% of participants experienced a decline in mental well-being at any of the follow-up rounds.Conclusions: Preliminary analyses showed that, although most participants experienced a clinically relevant positive change in mental wellbeing after starting ETI, approximately 20% did not.Further analyses of underlying biological and psychosocial factors associated with this deterioration will be explored.

This article analyses how EU institutions have defined the so-called specificity of sport and the extent to which its recognition might have affected the application of internal market and competition law to sport after the adoption of Article 165 TFEU. The article relies on qualitative and inductive thematic analysis of 83 sport-related documents adopted by EU institutions. Four main themes have been identified: Definition of sports specificity, categorisation of sporting exceptions, contribution of sporting exceptions to the specificity of sport, and the impact of Article 165 TFEU in the application of EU sports law. Our findings suggest that the EU has defined the specificity of sport around a set of unique characteristics that differentiates sport from other industries. While the formal recognition of the specific structures of sport in the Treaties had little effect on the application of free movement and anti-trust provisions to sport, it seems to have had some impact in the recent application of state aid provisions to sport. Our findings are of relevance for existing debates on the regulation and governance of sport in Europe and the development of the so-called European Model of Sport.

The article traces how European football regulation has been 'captured' by the football governing bodies. The European Commission re-aligned with the European football governing body Union des Associations Europeennes de Football (UEFA), which enabled the latter to solidify its role as industry regulator. Four factors seem to account for the successful capture of European football regulation by UEFA. (1) UEFA enjoys a substantial mobilization advantage. (2) As legitimacy maximizer, the Commission avoids unnecessary confrontations. (3) Substantial interest heterogeneity amongst football stakeholders such as clubs, players and leagues prevented the emergence of strong countervailing constituencies to oppose UEFA regulatory proposals. (4) The legacy of amateur ideology in European football nurtures a strong socio-cultural regulatory frame, which depicts the football governing bodies as trustees of the public interest in football as community institution. The findings come with implications for EU football regulation and the limits of the EU regulatory state.

Joining the Olympic Movement provides smaller countries with material and symbolic benefits. The Olympic Games represent a unique symbolic stage for national recognition and identity construction. Resource-poor countries can also access sport development funding programmes. However, participation in the international sport system comes at the price of a 'coercive policy transfer'. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires countries to subscribe to a western sport system that includes 'sports autonomy' as a key governance principle, which restricts the discretion of national governments. Previous scholarship suggests that coercive policy transfers can create institutional and policy misfits, which inspire translation and customisation on behalf of the receiving countries. The current paper investigates the interactions between public authorities and the National Olympic Committee of Botswana, which has been imposed by the IOC as an autonomous organisation. The study of three policy processes suggests that the interactions between the National Olympic Committee and governmental authorities are shaped by a persistent institutional misfit and organisational rivalries, which are only manageable because all actors in Botswana sport policy-making share a common interest in increasing national sporting success. At the same time, it is hard to assess to what extent the coercive policy transfer has improved policy development and implementation in Botswana.

tele-coaching sessions across coaches.Ratings of engagement by supervisors indicated that coaches were "very engaged" in supervision (82%) versus "somewhat engaged" (18%).Conclusions: Tele-coaching is a proposed model of providing support to promote adherence of AYAs with CF.Given this novel model, it is important to understand the experience of

Esta investigación pretende conocer las barreras percibidas, así como posibles variables predictoras, en personas que practican actividad física en centros fitness que se encontraban confinadas en el hogar por la pandemia de COVID-19. La muestra estuvo conformada por 8.087 practicantes de actividad física. Se administró un cuestionario en línea por correo electrónico. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo de las barreras percibidas y un análisis de regresión logística para determinar posibles variables predictoras. Las barreras percibidas más importantes fueron el precio y la suerte de la seguridad. La edad, el sexo, la frecuencia de práctica física vigorosa y la observación de las recomendaciones de la OMS serían las variables predictoras en mayor medida de las barreras percibidas. Los resultados son relevantes para que las organizaciones deportivas planifiquen su oferta de servicios después del confinamiento. This research intends to know the perceived barriers, as well as their predictor variables, in people who practice Physical Activity in fitness centers and were home confined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample was conformed of 8,087 physical activity practitioners. An online questionnaire was administered by email. A descriptive analysis of the perceived barriers was done, and logistic regression analysis to determine possible predictor variables. The most important perceived barriers were price and a luck of security. Age, gender, the vigorous physical practice frequency and the observation of the WHO recommendations would be the predictor variables to a larger extend for the perceived barriers. The results are relevant for sport organizations to plan their services offer post lockdown. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo conhecer as barreiras percebidas, bem como possíveis variáveis ​​preditivas, em pessoas que praticam atividade física em academias de ginástica que ficaram confinadas em casa pela pandemia do COVID-19. A amostra foi composta por 8.087 praticantes de atividade física. Um questionário online foi administrado por e-mail. Uma análise descritiva das barreiras percebidas e uma análise de regressão logística foram realizadas para determinar possíveis variáveis ​​preditoras. As barreiras percebidas mais importantes foram o preço e a sorte na segurança. Idade, sexo, frequência de prática física vigorosa e observância das recomendações da OMS seriam as variáveis ​​preditoras em maior extensão das barreiras percebidas. Os resultados são relevantes para que as organizações esportivas planejem sua oferta de serviços após o confinamento.

Introduction The International Olympic Committee (IOC) imposes very specific ideas on sports governance, more precisely on sports autonomy, on countries joining the Olympic Movement. Given that the idea of sports autonomy originated in the Global North, this article introduces the concept of governance transplants to evaluate the impact that being part of the Olympic Movement has on domestic sports governance in Global South developing countries. The article explores the extent to which the IOC is successful in implementing the norms and regulations on sports autonomy as a governance transplant at the national level in countries from the Global South that are part of the Olympic Movement. Methods The article employs a comparative qualitative case study research design that explores the relations of the IOC, National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and national governments in Botswana, Guatemala and Sri Lanka. Research relies on a mix of document analyses and expert semi-structured interviews conducted during field trips to those countries. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed by means of thematic analysis. The analyses focus on domestic policies and contexts, formal and institutional compliance with sports autonomy, provision of public funding, and participation in national sport policy-making. Results and discussion Findings suggest that national structures and legacies have an impact on the way in which the autonomy of sport, as the governance transplant, is translated in those three countries. Although national governments enjoy some agency in “translating” governance transplants, results also suggest that misfits and tensions persist between governmental and sport stakeholders at the national and international level. Such misfits might force the IOC, as a private transnational regulator, to adopt a more pragmatic view on the enforcing of its governance transplants. The results are of relevance to existing discussions on global sports governance and debates as to whether the countries in the Global North might be able to impose their views and their governance transplants if the Global South gets a greater say in transnational sports governance.

A growing number of recreational races are being held in different locations, drawing many local and visiting runners. This study examined the relationships between quality, value, satisfaction, and loyalty among runners in a recreational race and examines potential differences in relationships between these constructs based on the runners' experience. The participants were 985 runners with a mean age of 40.74±9.41years. Validated, reliable ad hoc instruments were used. A multi-group analysis was performed to ascertain the existence of relationships between the constructs and differences in the relationships between the different study groups. The results show that quality is a direct antecedent of value and satisfaction. Value is directly related to satisfaction and indirectly related to loyalty. Satisfaction is related to the loyalty of participants in the race. Differences in the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty were dependent upon the runners' experience. Loyalty to a race depends primarily on satisfaction and is modified by the runners' experience.

The role of fans in football governance is a topic of increasing academic and political interest. This article offers a quantitative approach to investigate supporters' opinions of governance structures in European football. It asks whether fans trust governing bodies, clubs, leagues and other stakeholders currently in charge of football governance. It also investigates the extent to which fans consider they should have a direct say on how football clubs are governed. Drawing on concepts from sports governance literature, an online survey collects opinions of football fans in six European countries (United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, Poland, France, and Germany). The results indicate a high level of mistrust from the fans on national governing bodies and presidents and owners of football clubs. Supporters have a positive view of fan involvement in governance structures, but are pessimist about the actual efficacy of supporters' activism.

This article critically reviews the concept of sports autonomy. It argues that sports autonomy is of limited use for analysing and explaining the relationships between sports organisations and public authorities in diverse political and cultural contexts. Hence, the article proposes an alternative, advocating the use of collaborative governance theory as a conceptual framework to analyse the relationship between sports organisations and public authorities. We argue that comparative research on collaborative sport governance should employ the method of structured, focused comparisons tracing specific collaborations between public authorities and sports organisations.

Although the EU represents one of the key markets in global sports entertainment, it seems that it has failed to use its structural power in a very efficient manner when it comes to shaping global sport policies. The Brexit is going to further weaken the EU’s structural power. Moreover, the fact that British governments have preferred a liberal approach to the regulation of sport seems likely to encourage more dirigiste approaches in EU sport regulation. The chapter explores these ideas by examining the potential impact of the Brexit in three policy domains, that is, good governance in sport, doping and match-fixing. The analyses indicate, however, that the Brexit is unlikely to have a major effect on the EU’s regulatory power in sport. The structural set up of EU sport policy and the policy inertia and path-dependency of the application of EU law and policy to sport greatly reduce the margin of actions for EU institutions. The regulatory impact of the EU is diluted by the diverging policy preferences of Member States, the ongoing dynamics that favour action within the Council of Europe and the complex network of stakeholders involved.

During the German divide, the two Germanys developed quite different elite sport systems. After reunification, the expensive and compromised East German state sport system was dismantled and the West German neo-corporatist policy approach to elite sport prevailed. The neo-corporatist approach is characterised by a large number of veto players which constantly bargain over influence and scarce resources. Globalisation and the diffusion of East German policy approaches have increased the competitive intensity in international sport and made the neo-corporatist approach increasingly anachronistic. Declining competitiveness has inspired several initiatives of the federal government to reform elite sport policymaking. So far, German elite sport seems to represent a policy domain where neo-corporatism resists the pressures of globalisation.