Identifying factors affecting the development of men's sports, (Case study: Iraqi men's sports)
Subject Areas :Ibrahim Khalil ibrahim 1 , Alireza Zamani Nukaabadi 2
1 - Ms.C. of sport management, Sport sciences department, Isfahan (Khorasgan) branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 - Assistant professor of Sport Management, Sport sciences department, Isfahan (Khorasgan) branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Keywords: Development, Iraq, men, sports,
Abstract :
Extended Abstract
Introduction
There are various definitions of the concept of sports development. Of course, such a concept can be called sports policies. Sports development is a process by which opportunities and conditions, systems and favorable and effective platforms are provided through which people can participate in all fields, either in sports or recreational activities, and develop and improve sports performance to their desired and optimal levels. The sport development model in each country is designed in accordance with the political and governmental systems, the structure of the government organizations, and the economic, political, and cultural conditions of that country. Therefore, completely copying a model for other countries will not be effective due to the different conditions. Iraq faces many weaknesses in terms of legislation in the sports industry, especially sports development policies and structure. Identifying important factors and effective indicators in the development of Iraqi sports, and specifically men's sports, in this study demonstrates the necessity and importance of the present study, and its results can be useful for those involved in the Iraqi Ministry of Sports and Youth to identify factors for the development of sports in this country.
Methodology
Participants of the study included sports department managers, sports management and physical education professors, managers, coaches, and professional players in Iraq. They were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Twenty-three people were interviewed until theoretical saturation was achieved. The interview began with general questions about the factors affecting the development of Iraqi men's sports, and the remaining questions were based on the interviewees' responses. This qualitative study was part of a grounded theory study, and the analysis of interviews was conducted based on the Strauss and Corbin (1998) method. To ensure the validity and reliability of the data, specific qualitative research criteria were used, including acceptability and confirmability. To increase acceptability, participant review methods were used. To achieve this, the researcher summarized what the interviewees said during the interview. The full interview transcript was returned to the interviewees for confirmation or correction. To re-access the participants to confirm the interview transcript, their contact numbers were taken at the time of the interview, with their informed consent and willingness. The entire interview transcript was confirmed by the interviewees. Therefore, it was possible to judge the transferability by the readers. In the next stage, a Delphi group of 15 members was conducted in two rounds. The Delphi members were the same people who were interviewed. The concepts and codes extracted from the interview texts were provided to the Delphi group members, and some of the concepts were approved and some were rejected, and the points suggested by the Delphi members were taken into account.
Results
The results of the present study showed that the important factors for the development of men's sports in Iraq were divided into four categories included political, cultural, social, and economic factors. Political factor included depoliticization (commitment of institutions and policy-making centers in the Iraqi sports industry, political uses of the sports industry, the existence and expediency of government officials in the critical stages of decision-making and implementation), don’t government interference in sports (multiple centers of power and decision-making in the country's sports body, ambiguity in roles, hidden monopolies in the sports industry), and distancing political movements and non-specialists (giving dominance to strategic thinking, eliminating paramilitary and quasi-governmental managers, non-expert interference by political figures and movements, and the existence and expediency of governments in critical stages of decision-making and implementation). The cultural factors included designing a talent identification system (paying attention to grassroots teams in different age groups, increasing the number of talent centers, and preparing a spatial planning plan for the country's sports), strengthening national authority (abolishing traditional laws and creating a flexible, dynamic and agile structure, parallel work, establishing the Supreme Sports Council) and developing fan infrastructure (creating fan centers, developing a fan culture, developing cooperation between sports institutions and fan centers, developing communication between sports institutions and fans, especially in cyberspace). The economics factors included infrastructure upgrade and development of standard sports spaces (developing the infrastructure of the professional club ownership system, and establishing the country's sports institute and bank), commercialization of the sports industry (inefficient business laws and horizontal connections with banking, insurance and other capital market institutions, registering clubs as commercial enterprises and supporting foreign investment), and privatization of the sports industry (designing a model to pave the way for privatization, empowering the private sector, and reducing government ownership, and taking the necessary legal action to provide non-governmental guarantee funds). The social factors included human resource development (holding conferences, workshops, and festivals to increase knowledge, motivating human resources for personal and organizational advancement, designing a volunteer system in the country's sports industry), internal and external environmental factors (economic, technological, cultural and political factors, holding and hosting major international competitions and events, inconsistency of international standards with national values, economic and livelihood weakness of talented families), and effective and efficient management (professionalism in the management of the country's sports industry, weakness in the field of sports diplomacy and international relations, scientific management and knowledge-based development, participatory, systemic and technical management, as well as programmatic action of managers).
Discussion and Conclusion
Development in today's world is a key concept that is referred to in various political, sociological, economic, and cultural studies and is considered a factor that distinguishes countries and regions. On the other hand, sport is one of the fundamental pillars of political, economic, social, and cultural activities and planning, and as a cultural category, it is considered a useful social phenomenon that has a very profound impact on the development of countries. The findings of this study indicate that cultural, political, social, and economic factors influence the development of Iraqi men's sports. It seems that Iraqi sports organizations need a well-written plan and a holistic vision to mainstream men's sports in the country. Among the limitations of this study is the lack of participation of some knowledgeable individuals in this field.
Keywords: Development, Iraq, men, sports
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