1,721,112 research outputs found
Experts criticise media coverage of disabled athletes
No full textThis is a newspaper article concerning the talk that Dr. Pappous gave in the "Third international forum on children with special needs" at Shafallah Center in Qatar.Addressing a session on "Sports, social inclusion and mass media," Dr. Pappous highlighted that Sports events for the disabled have been covered by the media as feature stories with focus on the disability rather than the performance of the athletes
Critical Realism as a Lens for Analyzing Beijing 2022 Winter Sports Participation Legacy
No full textAim and Research Questions: This paper aims to investigate whether Critical realism (CR) (Byers et al., 2019) could contribute to the analysis of China`s winter sports participation legacy of Beijing 2022? Theoretical Background and Literature Review: Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics were the first Games to implement a legacy plan shaped by Olympic Agenda 2020/New Norm and the IOC Legacy Strategic Approach (BOCWOG et al., 2021). The cornerstone of this plan was the ambitious "300 million" goal, a hard push to increase winter sports participation in China. International scholars have questioned the origins and feasibility of this goal, likely due to limited supporting data, language barriers, and differing social and cultural contexts. Our PRISMA analysis reveals that current literature on legacy offers little empirical evidence on achieving sport participation goals, and rarely conceptualizes "Winter Sports Participation" distinctly. Critical Realism (CR), as a philosophy focused on uncovering underlying realities, could provide a fresh framework to analyze this process. We propose applying CR to study the legacy delivery of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics within non-Western contexts, offering a novel and objective perspective. Research Design, Methodology and Data Analysis: This paper adopts a conceptual approach to explore the potential of Critical Realism (CR) in analyzing the winter sports participation legacy of the Beijing 2022 Games. We propose an integrated framework by combining CR with the "Three-Source Model" (Liu & Jiang, 2016) focusing on the Chinese context, a "Top-down" non-Western sports development model. This framework is intended to provide a deeper understanding of the legacy delivery process, particularly within the context of the "Juguo Tizhi" system, the underlying mechanism behind China's "300 million" goal achievement. While not involving data collection or analysis, our conceptual exploration aims to identify potential challenges and opportunities for winter sports participation legacy within the "Juguo Tizhi" framework. Results/Findings and Discussion: This paper demonstrates the potential of a new framework combining Critical Realism (CR) and the Chinese-originated “Three-Source Model” to deepen our understanding of winter sports participation legacy. Applying CR to the Beijing 2022 case proves both innovative and valuable, as it allows for analysis beyond surface appearances to uncover underlying mechanisms. However, it's crucial to acknowledge challenges stemming from cultural contexts, varying statistical systems, and the limited availability of data that accurately reflects both the ideal and social realities highlighted within the CR framework. Conclusion, Contribution, and Implication: This paper advances the application of Critical Realism (CR) to the study of sport participation legacy within the Chinese context. Our proposed framework offers a systematic approach for analyzing legacy delivery, facilitating cross-contextual research with shared criteria. We contribute to existing knowledge by: - Contextualizing CR: Providing a nuanced understanding of applying CR within China's unique top-down system, large population, and regional diversity. - Bridging Gaps: Addressing knowledge transfer, enabling researchers to adopt CR for legacy studies in various settings. - Global Relevance: Illustrating the interplay between elite and mass participation, offering insights for future winter sports mega-event legacy planning. We believe this new conceptualization opens pathways for future investigation. Studies utilizing this framework can further address the challenges and opportunities posed by Beijing 2022's ambitious "300 million" goal, aiding legacy analysis and participation strategy development for winter sports in diverse contexts. References: (1) Byers, T., Hayday, E., & Pappous, A. (2019). A new conceptualization of mega sports event legacy delivery: Wicked problems and critical realist solution. Sport Management Review, 23(2), 171–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2019.04.001 (2) Liu, L., & Jiang, Z. (2016). Influence of technological innovation capabilities on product competitiveness. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 116(5), 883–902. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-05-2015-0189 (3) BOCWOG, Beijing Sports University, & Centre for Olympic Studies. (2021). Legacy report of Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 (pre-Games). https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/734943/legacy-report-of- olympic-and-paralympic-winter-games-beijing-2022-pre-games-beijing-organising- commi?_lg=en-GB (4) IOC. (2022). Facts and figures: How Beijing 2022 is transforming winter sport in China. https://olympics.com/ioc/news/facts-and-figures-how-beijing-2022-is- transforming-winter-sport-in-china (5) Chen, B., Han, S., Wang, H., Huang, X., & Wang, F. (2023). A study on the behavior intention of university students participating in winter sports. Heliyon, 9(7). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18165 (6) Chen, S., Xing, X., & Chalip, L. (2022). Planning and implementation of event leveraging strategy: China’s legacy pledge to motivate 300 million people to be involved in winter sport. Sport Management Review, 25(5), 771–790. https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2021.198773
“The Legacy Element.. It Just Felt More Woolly”: Exploring the Reasons for the Decline in People With Disabilities’ Sport Participation in England 5 Years After the London 2012 Paralympic Games
No full textThis article explores why sports participation of people with disabilities in England has declined since the London 2012 Paralympic Games (LPG). Thirty semistructured interviews were conducted with staff employed in a variety of sports and disability-specific organizations. Our preliminary findings suggest that the decline is a result of a complex interplay between multiple factors. A competency gap and a lack of relevance between Paralympians and the rest of the community of people with disabilities might have limited the impact of the legacy. In addition, an absence of coordinated leveraging of the LPG, and a decline in the media coverage of disability sport in the aftermath of the LPG, might also have dulled the legacy. Finally, our data show that austerity and negative media coverage of people with disabilities deterred some people from participating in sport
Predicting the Evolution of Sports Federation Membership: An Important Tool to Asses National Governing Bodies’ Strategic Planning
No full textQuantifying the potential market of sports licenses is key in order for National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs) to be able to design good strategic planning. We compared the classical methods of univariate prediction and the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) methods. Reliability of the available data was verified with the Time Series Regression with ARIMA Noise, Missing and Outliers (TRAMO) method, and the existence of a trend was verified using Daniel’s test. For the purposes of this study—the researches collected and analysed secondary data from a 40-year series in 45 sports in Spain covering a very long period of time in a variety of sport disciplines. The study shows that, with the available data, short-and mid-term forecasting is possible in a number of sports, but not in all of them. It also proves that Holt’s classical method of exponential smoothing is the one that yields best results. Golf, Basketball, Athletics and Hunting NGB show worrying prospects of decline levels and need an immediate change in the strategic plans. Other than for forecasting the evolution of athletes in the mid-term in order to improve strategic planning in NGBs, the present findings can be useful for public authorities to define their aid policies for NGBs, and they can also helpcompanies in the industry to anticipate market developments
Towards an Olympic volunteering legacy: Motivating Volunteers to serve and remain - A case study of London 2012 Olympic Games Volunteers
No full textVolunteers are often seen as 'soft infrastructure' following the legacy plans of host nations aiming to stage the Olympic Games. This refers to social mobility and the potential of further utilising such volunteer resources for other future events and activities that would benefit the community. The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of a volunteer legacy following volunteers' involvement with the London 2012 Olympic Games. A total of 163 volunteers involved with the transport department of London 2012 completed a web-based survey. Factor analysis was employed to summarise volunteers' motivations. The analysis yielded five reliable dimensions of their motivations. Regression analysis was then applied to identify which motivations, sociodemographic characteristics and sport engagement variables had an impact on future intentions for volunteering. The implications of the findings for a potential social legacy of volunteering are explored
Breaking Ice: An In-depth Examination of China's Winter Sports Participation in the Wake of Beijing 2022
No full textIs there evidence from secondary data to suggest advancement towards Beijing 2022's objective of "Motivating 300 million individuals to engage in winter sports"? This study explored the Beijing 2022 sport participation legacy by adopting a quantitative approach with triangulation. The preliminary findings highlight the multifaceted and complex nature of evaluating the sport participation legacy goal of a Sport Mega Event (SME). The broad definition of the goal to "Motivate 300 million people to engage in winter sports," as well as the characteristics of the political mission's cultural and systemic context, were some of the factors that played an important role when trying to assess this target. Moreover, this paper revealed three crucial mechanisms trans-mitting the passion of winter sports from SME to mass participation legacy, through quantitatively examining the promised target. There were "Leveraging sports policy", "Provision of facilities accompanying the integration of sport and education", and "Cooperative stakeholders` alliance strengthened by media power and technology". We anticipate that this study will make a valuable contribution towards addressing the challenges posed by the broad and ambitious nature of Beijing 2022's goal, whilst facilitating further investigations on the transformative strategies
Yes we can!” Paralympic Athletes Beyond Stereotype: how media can change and promote no-discriminatory sports
No full textRecent data from Eurostat show that one in four people (25.4%) in the EU has a disability ranging from mild to severe (EUROSTAT, 2021). In Italy, there are approximately 3.1 million disabled people (5.2% of the population) (ISTAT, 2019). However, people with disabilities are scarcely visible in Italian mass media. News with a focus on disability when it rarely happens, is often misguided, and tends to perpetuate negative stereotypes. One of the opportunities that exist for the mass media to portray disabled people in an empowering and positive way is through the Paralympic Games.
Based on an Italian National project, in this paper, we explore the views and perceptions of Paralympic athletes themselves on how certain representations make them feel, think or react and ask how sport and disability should be better represented at the Paralympic Games to provide a more positive representation of disability. The core overarching aim of our study is in line with the European Disability Strategy and its key term "self-determination", which reflects the right of disabled people to have a say in how they would like to be represented. The research project provides valuable educational and training resources on the promotion of non-discriminatory, inclusive, and empowering portrayal of disability aimed at: a) media professionals/journalists; b) Paralympic athletes; c) members of the disability community.
Through an interdisciplinarity approach between the sociology of sport, media history and disability studies, the project is designed to have a sustainable legacy for future sports editions (such as the PG in Milano-Cortina 2026)
Are mega-events a solution to address physical inactivity? Interrogating the London 2012 Paralympic sport participation legacies among people with disabilities
No full textUnderstanding why non-active people with disabilities have not participated in more sport since the London 2012 Paralympic Games is the focus of this paper. This research reviews the constraints preventing people with disabilities from participating in more sport, and the role the London 2012 Paralympic Games plays in this. Eighty-one people with disabilities in England who are non-active completed an online questionnaire exploring their constraints to participating in more sport. The data suggests attitudes towards the London 2012 Paralympic Games were not an important reason for the lack of sport participation: instead, systemic and social barriers are more constraining to participation in more sport. A factor analysis identified four components that constrain non-active people with disabilities: sport provision; economic; unawareness of how to include people with disabilities in sporting activities; and access to sport participation opportunities. The four components explained 72.93% of the total variance. It is recommended mega sporting events are not used as a policy intervention to increase sport participation of people with disabilities, as this does not account for constraining social and systemic barriers to sports participation. Instead, bottom-up solutions designed and managed in conjunction with people with disabilities may be more effective
Leveraging the London 2012 Paralympic Games to increase sports participation: the role of voluntary sports clubs
No full textPurpose: This study investigates the extent to which English voluntary sports clubs leveraged the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and what impact leveraging had on the sports participation of people with disabilities (PwD) at clubs. Research methods: Realist evaluation was used to frame the research. An online questionnaire was administered to English clubs between 27 January 2018 and 8 April 2018. Four hundred and thirty-three clubs were included in the final analysis. Findings: Most clubs did not leverage the London 2012 Paralympics. Clubs that leveraged were more likely to have increased their PwD membership. Holding taster sessions was the most effective leveraging activity. Principal components analysis revealed two leveraging constraints: knowledge of disability, and resources to leverage. A one-way MANOVA revealed clubs from inclusively funded national governing bodies were more likely to be constrained by their limited knowledge of disability. Implications: This study suggests specific disability provision at clubs was important to the successful leveraging of the 2012 Paralympics for increased sport participation of PwD. The intention and capacity of the club to support leveraging were also important factors. Research contribution: This study produces empirical data on the role and effectiveness of clubs as sites for sport participation for PwD following the Paralympic Games
- …
