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In this paper, 1,538 papers retrieved with the keywords "sports artificial intelligence (AI)" on the Web of Science database since 2007 were taken as the data source, and the Cite Space V software was used to visualize and analyze them. A visual knowledge graph was used to streamline the countries, institutions and authors conducting sports AI research, discipline distribution, research hotspots and development trends in the past 15 years. Subsequently, its development direction and research progress were discussed. Sports AI was widely distributed, with the US, China and the UK leading the way. The most prolific authors and teams in research on sports AI were concentrated in American universities. Their main research direction is to develop and improve smart wearable devices based on machine learning and deep learning technologies for different groups of people. Research on sports AI involved multiple disciplines, which mainly applied and referred to research methodologies and theories on engineering, computer science and sports science. It could be seen from the frequency and centrality of keywords that in the current field of sports AI, machine learning is the main direction, artificial neural networks is the main algorithm, and practical and empirical research based on data mining is the focus. The research hotspots were divided into three major clusters: physical health promotion, sports injury prevention and control, and athletic performance enhancement. How to introduce intelligent technology into sports for a perfect integration still has an arduous and long way to go. Future development requires joint efforts and participation of scientific researchers, professionals and common people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With advances in deep learning technology, the study and application of Human Action Recognition (HAR) systems competitive sports have evolved, becoming more profound and diverse. These systems have demonstrated the potential to enhance athletes' training and competitive performance while introducing innovation and progress into sports education and entertainment. This paper addresses the practical needs of sports training by designing a HAR system tailored to competitive sports scenarios, subsequently analyzing its recognition performance and applied models. The primary contribution of this paper lies in its exploration of HAR technology through Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in the context of competitive sports. It systematically investigates and applies HAR requirements in competitive settings. Additionally, this paper evaluates the real-world performance of AlexNet and GoogleNet, constructs a CNN-based HAR system, and assesses its capabilities using publicly available datasets. These efforts provide valuable insights and technical support for the implementation CNN-based HAR technology in competitive sports and other related fields, offering both academic and practical applications. The results indicate that different models achieve recognition accuracies 94, 45%, 95. 04%, 93, 01 %, 93. 23%, and 90. 54% under five distinct decision-level fusion equations (A#-E #, respectively). Following fine-tuning and optimization, the recognition accuracy of AlexNet, GoogleNet, and ResNet networks significantly improved, with the model achieving a remarkable 99.94% accuracy in recognizing and analyzing the same athlete. In comparison to alternative algorithms, the designed HAR system prioritizes immediacy and interactivity while offering superior accuracy and broader application potential. successfully fulfills its intended function, accurately recognizing human actions from video images, thereby proving invaluable for research in competitive sports. © 2024 Society for Imaging Science and Technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing body of feminist research investigating the relationship between sports initiatives and gender development goals, the literature to date has almost exclusively focused on female participation within sport for development programs. The purpose of this paper is to examine men's behavior and provide novel insights into the perspectives and roles of men in sport for development work. This paper draws upon 11 months of ethnographic research undertaken between 2017 and 2018 in two organizations in São Paulo, Brazil, which use football as a tool to empower women. The findings reveal the diversity of roles men play in gender equality efforts and indicate issues men face, specifically the impact of ideas of manhood that hinder their ability to support broader social justice. The author ends the paper by outlining the necessity to explore masculinity and manhood in more depth to broaden the current understandings of the limitations and potential of sport for development initiatives to change the traditional model of male dominance and, consequently, have a more profound effect on gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today media and sports are indivisible, having a kind of inseparable, mutually influential relationship. Media attracts audiences and generates profit through sports. In its turn, sports content is disseminated, transmitted, and popularized through the media. Thus, theoretically, sports and media exist in symbiosis. However, practically, this relationship is complex and includes many factors. First of all, in recent decades, the process of overall digitalization (and digital transformation) of all fields of life has had a crucial impact on sport, media, and their interrelationship. This paper aims to conceptualize and analyze the possible impact of digitalization on "winner-takes-all" (WTA) (winner-takes-most, WTM) dynamics in the professional sports industry, notably for spectating audiences, and answer the question: "Can digitalization be seen as a driver of ecosystem change and how it should be tested?" This conceptual model paper seeks to construct and develop a theoretical framework that can explain and predict relationships between concepts of digitalization and key sport spectating variables: audience, TV rights, and revenue through a prism of WTA. We found that the technological change in the sports media market and the greater global-orientated strategy of leading sports organizations have re-sorted and compressed many market shares, but the effect of technological disruption has been significantly less pronounced for the most powerful digital leaders in the industry. To this end, we represent digitalization as the main accelerating factor of the WTA effect (along with other auxiliary effects) in the sports industry and propose future research directions and perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a holistic understanding of extant studies addressing the impact of commercialization on fans of elite sports. Design/methodology/approach: In doing this, the authors performed a structured review of 42 academic articles published between 1992 and 2020 that all focus on how fans respond and are affected by the commercialization of elite sports. Findings: The structured review shows that the impacts of commercialization on fans relate to four different themes. These are (1) fan identity, (2) fan attitudes, (3) fan emotions and (4) fan behaviours. However, the analysis also shows that research within each category is largely scattered, and more research within each category is needed. Originality/value: The paper highlights the complex and dynamic nature of commercialization. It presents a research agenda for future research and emphasizes a need to integrate the interests of several stakeholders when managing the impacts of elite sport commercialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of digitalization and sustainability principles, encapsulated within the Twin Transformation (TT) approach, has emerged as a transformative paradigm within sport management. However, there is a critical gap in understanding how these two transformative forces can be synergistically harnessed within the field of sport management. This paper explores the conceptual underpinnings of TT and its implications for enhancing organizational performance and addressing contemporary challenges in the sports industry. Drawing upon interdisciplinary perspectives, the paper examines how TT fosters innovation, enhances fan engagement, and promotes environmental responsibility within sport management. Through a synthesis of theoretical insights and practical examples, the paper highlights the potential of TT to drive positive change across various facets of sport management, from operational practices to stakeholder engagement. Furthermore, the paper underscores the importance of ongoing research and scholarly inquiry in advancing our understanding of TT and its implications for theory and practice in sport management. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of TT in sport management, offering valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders seeking to navigate the dynamic landscape of the sports industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I discuss the risks of brain injuries in collision and contact sports and make a proposal to address them without limiting the autonomy of athletes. I aim to analyse the circumstances of profound uncertainty that athletes are facing in terms of the long-term impact of brain injuries. My strategy is to circumvent drastic measures in dealing with such risks, such as banning certain sports or changing their nature by introducing constitutive rule changes, and to scaffold individual autonomy instead. I will focus on two aspects. First, I address the choice whether to take up or continue to play a risky sport given the mentioned profound level of ignorance. I argue that we can scaffold autonomy to make rational choices, particularly by enabling the application of heuristics. Second, I discuss performative skills that can help to prevent brain injuries. It is important to consider collision and contact sports as instances of joint action. The performance of others is an important factor in determining the level of risk in such sports. Hence, supporting athlete's skills to prevent collisions can reduce the risk of brain injury. I conjecture ways to scaffold players' skills and performance with this aim in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical activity surveillance systems are important for public health monitoring but rely mostly on self-report measurement of physical activity. Integration of device-based measurements in such systems can improve population estimates, however this is still relatively uncommon in existing surveillance systems. This systematic review aims to create an overview of the methodology used in existing device-based national PA surveillance systems. Methods: Four literature databases (PubMed, Embase.com, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science) were searched, supplemented with backward tracking. Articles were included if they reported on population-based (inter)national surveillance systems measuring PA, sedentary time and/or adherence to PA guidelines. When available and in English, the methodological reports of the identified surveillance studies were also included for data extraction. Results: This systematic literature search followed the PRISMA guidelines and yielded 34 articles and an additional 18 methodological reports, reporting on 28 studies, which in turn reported on one or multiple waves of 15 different national and 1 international surveillance system. The included studies showed substantial variation between (waves of) systems in number of participants, response rates, population representativeness and recruitment. In contrast, the methods were similar on data reduction definitions (e.g. minimal number of valid days, non-wear time and necessary wear time for a valid day). Conclusions: The results of this review indicate that few countries use device-based PA measurement in their surveillance system. The employed methodology is diverse, which hampers comparability between countries and calls for more standardized methods as well as standardized reporting on these methods. The results from this review can help inform the integration of device-based PA measurement in (inter)national surveillance systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adventure tourism is a popular and growing segment within the tourism industry that involves, but is not limited to, hiking, running, and climbing activities. These activities attract investment from foreign travelers interested in practicing sports while exploring other countries. As a result, many software companies started developing Artificial Intelligence solutions to enhance tourists' outdoor adventure experience. One of the leading technologies in this field is recommender systems, which provide personalized recommendations to tourists based on their preferences. While this topic is actively being researched in some sports (running and hiking), other adventure sports disciplines have yet to be fully explored. To standardize the development of intelligence-based recommender systems, we conducted a systematic literature review on more than a thousand scientific papers published in decision support system applications in three outdoor adventure sports, such as running, hiking, and sport climbing. Hence, the main focus of this work is, firstly, to summarize the state-of-the-art methods and techniques being researched and developed by scientists in recommender systems in adventure tourism, secondly, to provide a unified methodology for software solutions designed in this domain, and thirdly, to give further insights into open possibilities in this topic. This literature survey serves as a unified framework for the future development of technologies in adventure tourism. Moreover, this paper seeks to guide the development of more effective and personalized recommendation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maximum galloping speeds of racehorses during a race are influenced by the functional performance of the ground ('going') amongst other factors. For turf racecourses in Britain, the ground is descriptively classified and numerically quantified on the morning of a race meeting by the clerk of the course and subsequently published to assist decision making. Importantly, this includes deciding whether a horse should or should not run. The going is also assessed and classified during the meeting by racing analysts using the normalized winning times from each race result. Differences between going assessments are regularly reported, therefore this study aimed to evaluate whether an alternative method of measuring going could better predict going measured from performances. Measurement and performance data from 25 flat and 25 jump meetings were compared using linear and nonlinear regression models. A continuous two-phase polynomial model for cushioning was found to be the best predictor of performance going for all 50 meetings (adjusted r 2 =0.819, P<0.001). As cushioning can provide a going related indicator of the forces that the horse will experience at gallop, this measurement may be useful when evaluating racecourse going. This initial model suggests that there is little performance advantage at maximal galloping speeds above a cushioning value of approximately10 kN, possibly due to changes in limb contact timings to manage limb forces limits as the ground becomes firmer. An expansion of objective measurements of going that relate to performance across a wider geographic region, if not internationally are needed to confirm this limit., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors has any financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

According to the World Health Organization, 17 million people die every year of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), particularly heart attacks and strokes. More than half of all deaths across the Europe are caused by CVDs. 80 % of premature deaths from these causes could be avoided by controlling the main risk factors: tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Local authorities provide sport and recreation facilities to their communities. They also have a central role in forging partnerships with public and private sector to enhance the local sport delivery system. The present paper consists of an empirical exercise about the statistical relationship between the financial effort of Portuguese municipalities in the implementation of sports policies and the prevalence of CVDs. The estimation of a Spatial Autocorrelation Model confirms the strong spatial dependence between neighbouring municipalities and validates the existence of a positive impact of local sports policies on mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases. The results raise the need to reinforce local policies to promote active living based on holistic approaches to combating heart disease and promoting healthy lifestyles in partnerships with health professionals, educators, and community leaders., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sports betting is becoming increasingly common among young people in the UK and Australia. There is a need to understand how the marketing of sports betting may influence risky and pathological gambling to inform policies aimed at reducing harm. This study examines whether sports betting advertising may predict problem gambling scores among young people, while accounting for non-marketing variables., Methods: We recruited 567 participants (53.1% male) aged 18-24 years from an online research panel. Participants were eligible if they had an active betting account and regularly bet on sports. We conducted a hierarchical regression analysis to examine whether four marketing-related measures (exposure to advertising, ad-driven betting decisions, use of betting inducements, and perceived susceptibility to betting inducements) could predict PGSI scores. We controlled for several demographic, psychological, and behavioural variables, including gender, gambling participation, spend per session, participation in in-play betting, normative beliefs about sports betting, and impulsivity., Results: The study revealed that sports betting marketing was positively associated with PGSI scores after controlling for non-marketing variables. Significant marketing predictors included ad-driven betting decisions and perceived influence from betting inducements. Other significant predictors included participation in non-sports betting gambling activities, spend per session, involvement in in-play betting, and the impulsivity trait of negative urgency., Conclusion: Sports betting marketing appears to be implicated in young people's gambling problems. Specifically, young people who have gambling problems may be more likely to bet in response to advertising, and betting incentives may contribute to an intensification of their gambling behaviour. This study supports the implementation of regulations and restrictions on advertising as a measure to protect young problem gamblers., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interest The authors declare no competing interests. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. Informed consent All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

While studies on World City Networks (WCNs) based on International Sports Events (ISEs) have revealed a nonwesternization evolutionary trend, few studies have focused on high-level ISEs' long-term spillover effects on promoting nonwestern host countries. This paper aims to fill these gaps by exploring the external connections of Chinese cities in each Olympic Games since 2008 deploying social network analysis and community detection methods. The results show that gateway events, such as the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games and the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, rather than gateway cities, play essential roles in promoting Chinese cities' status in sports diffusion. Specifically, after the successful hosting of Olympic games, international sports federations (ISFs) witnessed Chinese cities' ability to organize ISEs; consequently, ISFs would try to select Chinese host cities considering China's rapid development and the relatively lower popularity of certain sports domestically. Additionally, as ISEs offer significant opportunities for city marketing, many Chinese cities have incorporated hosting ISEs as important urban development strategies. The promotion of the "events globalization" strategy by ISFs and the attraction measures taken by Chinese city governments for ISEs have ultimately led to a continuous increase in the number of Chinese cities and their direct external connections in ISE-based WCNs. This finding fully reveals the long-term spillover effect of high-level ISEs on promoting cities in nonwestern host countries. This further indicates that the nonwesternization trend in ISE-based WCNs may be because an increasing number of high-level ISEs, such as the Olympics and the World Cups, were held in nonwestern countries., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Smart sensors represent a significant advancement in modern sports science, and their effective use enhances the ability to monitor and analyze athlete performance in real time. The integration of these sensors has enhanced the accuracy of data collection related to physical activity, biomechanics, and physiological responses, thus providing valuable insights for performance optimization, injury prevention, and rehabilitation. This paper provides an overview of the research progress in the application of smart sensors in the field of sports science; highlights the current advances, challenges, and future directions in the deployment of smart sensor technologies; and anticipates their transformative impact on sports science and athlete development.

It is an open question to which degree compassion-noticing, engaging with, and acting to alleviate suffering in self and others-is (considered) advantageous in elite sports. Addressing this question, we herein provide insights into high-performance coaches' perceptions on the role of compassion in elite sports environments. Specifically, 12 coaches working at the highest level of their respective sport (in Denmark) partook in semi-structured interviews focusing on the utilization, implications, as well as barriers for implementing compassion in elite sports environments. Following a thematic analysis, three themes comprising various subthemes were identified and discussed. The first theme - Benefits of compassion - focuses on coaches' perception of the use and implications of compassion and comprises four subthemes: Compassion is important when times are tough; Compassion stimulates human connection; Compassion fosters unity in competitive environments; and Compassion promotes performance. The second theme - Increasing compassionate competence - focuses on how a compassionate approach can flourish and comprises three subthemes: Reflection; Awareness and knowledge; and Keeping up with the times. The third theme - Barriers to compassion - focuses on barriers to implementing and enhancing compassion in elite sports environments and comprises four subthemes: Compassion is soft; Power dynamics can stand in the way; Requires prioritization; and Performance outcome orientation. We conclude that while compassion (beyond self-compassion) can be beneficial in elite sports, coaches still perceive barriers for successful implementation, and that research should further investigate the outcomes and consequences of compassion in the elite sport context., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Athletes and coaches often feel a great deal of passion for sport. But are these highly passionate individuals also highly engaged in sport? Based on the theoretical underpinnings and empirical findings from the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand, 2015), it is unclear if the highest levels of sport engagement are associated with high levels of passion, or with specific combinations of high/low levels of harmonious and obsessive passion. We examined this issue in samples of athletes (N = 403) and coaches (N = 208). Participants completed online questionnaires assessing dimensions of sport passion (i.e., harmonious and obsessive passion) and engagement (i.e., confidence, vigor, dedication, enthusiasm). In both samples, we found that the highest levels of engagement were associated with high harmonious passion. This means that those who are passionate toward sport are not necessarily engaged in sport; engagement is found when passion involves high harmonious passion., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Regulations implemented by World Athletics (WA) require female athletes with differences of sexual development to suppress their blood testosterone levels in order to participate in certain women's sporting competitions. These regulations have been justified by reference to fairness. In this paper, we reconstruct WA's understanding of fairness, which requires a "level playing field" where no athlete should have a significant performance advantage based on factors other than talent, dedication, and hard work over an average athlete in their category. We demonstrate that by placing regulations only on testosterone levels, while ignoring physical as well as socioeconomic advantages, WA consistently fails to meet its own definition of fairness. We then discuss several ways in which this definition could be met. Our analysis shows that a categorical system, in which athletes are divided into categories based on properties leading to significant performance advantages, is best suited for meeting WA's definition of fairness.

Great importance is attached to physical exercise and students' cognitive development, yet the precise mechanism linking the time duration of physical activities or sports with adolescents' cognitive development remains inconclusive. Based on the two-wave panel data of China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), this paper empirically examines the impact of daily physical exercise duration on junior middle school students' cognitive abilities, by using the two-way fixed-effect estimation. The findings reveal a nonlinear relationship, specifically an inverted "U"-shaped pattern, between daily time length of physical activities or sports and students' cognitive performance. The cognitive benefits of time investment in physical activities or sports reach the peak at approximately 0.829 h (equivalent to 50 min) per day among the teenagers in China. Furthermore, the daily time allocated to physical activities or sports affects students' cognitive performance differentially, students attending rural schools were rewarded more progressively, students of poorer physical fitness and those in good shape did not show discernible between-group differences. This study shades light on educational governance and time management, urging school administrators, parents and students to optimize the efficiency and utility of time resource invested in sports activities., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Investigating sport persistence can make a significant contribution to a thorough examination and understanding of the factors underlying an athlete's activity, integrating physical activity, sports motivation and commitment. This systematic review aimed to detect the papers focusing on the factors influencing sport persistence following the levels of Bronfenbrenner's and Bauman's ecological models. Following the PRISMA guidelines, by the EBSCO Discovery Service Search Engine, 512 records were detected, of which 21 met the criteria. Factors influencing sport persistence show a huge variety. Individual factors and micro-system level were overrepresented. Meso- and macro-level factors are underrepresented and measured only with other (individual or micro-system level) factors. Most factors detected at the individual (e.g. gender, age, career-related variables and positive psychological factors), micro- (e.g. family, peers and coaches), meso- (e.g. climate), and macro-level (cultural, societal, and institutional influences) were positively correlated with sport persistence, i.e. supporting the persistent behaviour of the athletes regarding participating in one's sporting activity. In conclusion, there is still room for further research concerning sport persistence. Including variables belonging to the meso- and macro-system and conducting longitudinal research should be considered which would allow us to better understand the nature of sport persistence., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Laboratory medicine in sport and exercise has significantly developed during the last decades with the awareness that physical activity contributes to improved health status, and is present in monitoring both professional and recreational athletes. Training and competitions can modify concentrations of a variety of laboratory parameters, so the accurate laboratory data interpretation includes controlled and known preanalytical and analytical variables to prevent misleading interpretations. The paper represents a comprehensive summary of the lectures presented during the 35 th Annual Symposium of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine. It describes management of frequent sport injuries and sums up current knowledge of selected areas in laboratory medicine and sports including biological variation, changes in biochemical parameters and glycemic status. Additionally, the paper polemicizes sex hormone disorders in sports, encourages and comments research in recreational sports and laboratory medicine. In order to give the wider view, the connection of legal training protocols as well as monitoring prohibited substances in training is also considered through the eyes of laboratory medicine., Competing Interests: Potential conflict of interest None declared., (Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine.)

In this paper, I propose a new way of defining sport that I call a 'core-periphery' model. According to a core-periphery model, sport comes in degrees – what I refer to as 'sport-likeness' – and the aim of the philosopher of sport is to chart those dimensions along which an activity can be more or less a sport. By introducing the concept of sport-likeness, the core-periphery model complicates the picture of what is or is not a sport and encourages philosophers interested in defining sport to engage with the social sciences in exploring the extension of the term sport in common usage. In this paper I present the results of a small survey about attitudes to sport, and use it to illustrate how a core-periphery definition of sport would proceed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schneider, von Allmen and Munk develop evidence that IOC regulations generate spillover effects in economic activity outside Olympic-related activities. Fort also develops a model to explain how NCAA enforcement of amateurism works, which also sheds important light on NCAA governance. Rodney Fort undertakes a theoretical analysis of an important aspect of the regulation of intercollegiate athletics by its governing body, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). [Extracted from the article]

Worldwide, over 61 million people suffer from symptoms caused by conditions which could be helped by Palliative Care. Physiotherapy is increasingly utilised as part of the multi-disciplinary team in providing Palliative Care, but this is not widely accepted by physiotherapists whose attitudes and beliefs towards it may be framed by the absence of the topic in their undergraduate education. To evaluate the literature relating to the effect of Palliative Care education interventions on the attitudes and beliefs of Physiotherapy undergraduate students. A structured search on Academic Search Ultimate, MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL Complete, APA PsycInfo, Education Source, Communication Source, SPORTDiscus with Full Text, Business Source Ultimate, SocINDEX with Full Text, and Regional Business News was conducted in October 2020. Articles were limited to peer-reviewed journals published in English and involving an educational intervention delivered to pre-qualification Physiotherapy students. Four papers were included which all measured change in attitudes and beliefs. Three papers showed a significant positive change in students' attitudes and beliefs towards PC, and one showing a positive but non-significant change. There was no consensus on the ideal curriculum content, delivery method or time. PC content within the curriculum is still in its formative stages within Physiotherapy education. While there is currently no consensus on the ideal method and format of how it should be delivered, there is some evidence to suggest that it can have a positive impact on Physiotherapy students' attitudes and beliefs towards PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity program interventions often lack sensitivity to the needs of older immigrant adults. The objective of this systematic realist review is to explain how, why, for whom, and under which circumstances community group-based physical activity programs work for immigrant older adults. The initial program theory was developed using prior research, team expertise, social cognitive theory, and knowledge user consultations. The program theory was tested and refined via a systematic review of the literature. Database searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Sports Medicine and Education Index, and SPORTDiscus. A total of 22 sources of evidence met inclusion criteria and included intervention studies, systematic reviews, and a discussion paper. Intervention studies were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The final program theory constituted eight context–mechanism–outcome configurations that highlight the importance of facilitator characteristics, access to safe spaces, group dynamics, and social support. A limitation was the small number and variable quality of included evidence. Physical activity programs that target immigrant older adults must strengthen physical and psychological safety and maximize opportunities for role modeling and socialization. This research was supported by the Alberta Health Services Seniors Health Strategic Clinical Network and is registered in PROSPERO (ID#258179). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strength is a central element of sport and therefore an equally central topic in sports science. In sports science, strength is dealt with primarily in biomechanics. Biomechanics reduces strength – legitimately – to a scientific subject. As a result, it loses sight of strength as a lifeworld phenomenon. The discipline that allows us to grasp strength as an everyday experience is phenomenology. This essay undertakes a phenomenological analysis of strength to uncover the diversity of strength phenomena in the lifeworld of sport. The theoretical and methodological basis for this is Hermann Schmitz's 'new phenomenology' (Neue Phänomenologie). With the help of new phenomenology, I first develop a real definition of strength ('strength is an intrusive effect through one-sided incorporation'). Second, I work out the general structures of the phenomenon of 'strength', that is, a system comprising ten categories ('pulling, pushing, centripetal, centrifugal, lifting, lowering, strong, weak, heavy, light'). Third, I use this system of categories for a phenomenology of sport-immanent strength phenomena. The paper thus makes a contribution to a pure phenomenology of sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport categorization is often justified by benefits such as increased fairness or inclusion. Taking inspiration from John Rawls, Sigmund Loland's fair equality of opportunity principle in sport (FEOPs) is a tool for determining whether the existence of an inequality ethically justifies the institution of a new category in any given sport. It is an elegant ethical normative framework, but since FEOPs does not account explicitly for athlete safety (i.e. athlete physical and mental wellbeing), we are left in an ethically dubious situation where the risk of harm associated with a categorization regime might in fact prove to be greater than the risk of harm present within the sport before its introduction. To address this critical gap, I propose the 'scales of ignorance' ethical normative framework to weigh the relative risk of harm within a sport, crucially inserting athlete safety into the discourse surrounding ethical justification for categorization in sport. The current paper is the first explicit formulation of assessment and ethical justification of risk of harm in the familiar logic of FEOPs. The scales of ignorance framework can also be used independently of Loland's approach. Two new concepts are also proposed: 'insidious risk of harm' and 'pernicious risk of harm'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the lived experiences of mother-coaches who, while coaching, navigate policy and programs aimed at promoting gender equity. Specifically, this study took place within the context of an amateur national, 10-day multisport games event in Canada. Using critical feminist narrative inquiry, 14 mother-coaches (apprentice, assistant, or head coach), representing eight different provinces, and 10 different sports, participated in this study. Three themes were constructed that call attention to the Canadian sport system broadly, as well as the 10-day multisport games event specifically: (a) performative policies and gendered assumptions, (b) programs that are band-aids for a "shitty culture," and (c) a pathway to nowhere for mother-coaches. The findings complicate the hegemonic work–family conflict narrative, suggesting that mother-coaches' advancement, opportunities, and quality experiences are impacted by the current heteropatriarchal culture and structure of sport that these programs and policy are rooted in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scaling up established physical activity (PA) opportunities for broader population reach requires practitioners to carefully consider strategies implemented to recruit and attract new participants to their PA programs. This scoping review examines the effectiveness of recruitment strategies for engaging adults in organized (established and sustained) PA programs. Electronic databases were searched for articles published between March 1995 and September 2022. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods papers were included. Recruitment strategies were assessed against Foster et al. (Recruiting participants to walking intervention studies: a systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2011; 8 :137–137.) assessment of quality for reporting recruitment and the determinants of recruitment rates were examined. 8394 titles and abstracts were screened; 22 articles were assessed for eligibility; 9 papers were included. Three of the 6 quantitative papers adopted a combination of passive and active recruitment strategies and 3 relied solely on active strategies. All 6 quantitative papers reported on recruitment rates; 2 evaluated the efficacy of recruitment strategies based on the achieved levels of participation. The evaluation evidence on how individuals are successfully recruited into organized PA programs, and how recruitment strategies influence or address inequities in PA participation, is limited. Culturally sensitive, gender sensitive and socially inclusive recruitment strategies based on building personal relationships show promise for engaging hard-to-reach populations. Improving the reporting and measurement of recruitment strategies into PA programs is essential to better understand which strategies are attracting various population groups thus allowing program implementers to employ recruitment strategies best suited to the needs of their community while making efficient use of program funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basketball is a sport that requires basic and motor characteristics such as strength, speed, endurance and coordination, high-intensity activities such as jumping, dribbling, shooting, blocking and sprinting. It is also a sports discipline that requires aerobic and anaerobic energy processes as well as including intense activities such as jump shooting, blocking shots, movements with rapid changes of direction and high speed. In this discipline, there are many characteristics that affect performance and proper execution of technical and tactical elements according to the positions of the game. The purpose of this paper literature review is to investigate and research the impact of training programs on physical parameters in basketball in age groups. To successfully realize this review paper we studied and analyzed contemporary scientific literature. In this literature review, basic principles of selection in several stages of literature by means keywords are used based on works. Major databases were used through the Jab Ref program such as Cross Ref, DOAJ, Inspire, Web of Science, Scopus, and Sport Discus in the last 10 years. In the literature used, one can clearly see importance of understanding that, higher quality level of sportsman movement culture, higher level of mastery of teaching tasks and higher level of movement skills education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide a conceptual analysis of blood-sport as a concept. Through utilising a generalised notion of sport as well as the concept of fair-play, the objective will be to examine whether blood-sports are games and analyse to what extent, if any, bloodsports can be properly called 'sports'. For the purposes of application and because of the sheer numbers of birds used in the sportsshooting industry, the paper will focus on a discussion of gamebirding, but the findings will apply to the practice of 'blood-sport' more generally. Work by Sam P. Morris (IJAP, 2014) argues that 'fairchase hunting' can be classified as a game, as well as a sport, although Morris stresses that answers to questions concerning the sport status of hunting do not provide answers to questions regarding the ethics of blood-sports. The author of this paper agrees with Morris regarding the latter point, but pace Morris, she argues that it is doubtful that blood-sport is a game let alone a sport, and that even if one assumes for argument's sake that it is indeed a game, it cannot be properly classed as sport, and that a fair-chase code undermines itself in the context of so called 'blood-sports'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing interest around the broader effects of psychopathic traits, particularly in relation to deviant behaviors and the notion of so-called "successful psychopathy". As significant sociocultural touchstones, sporting events are often characterized by competitiveness and a sense of prestige. However, there has been limited attention towards psychopathic traits across recreational, amateur, and elite sports. Accordingly, we conducted a narrative review synthesizing primary observations on this topic, searching keywords in Scopus, APA PsychNet, and PubMed. Twenty-four academic papers were included in our results, which we thematized around demographic groups, namely: athletes and sport-adjacent non-athletes (i.e., coaches and spectators). Based on empirical findings from the reviewed papers, psychopathic traits could have medicolegal and forensic implications in relation to substance use, aggression, and violence. These could intersect with wider issues around doping, cheating, foul play, and have adverse outcomes for fellow participants, team dynamics, and spectators. Interestingly, our review also indicates that psychopathic traits may have correlations with determination and achievement in sport, echoing developing ideas around "successful psychopathy" in other domains. As such, increased awareness from all stakeholders and further multidisciplinary exchanges are vital to better understand the effects of psychopathic traits in sporting frameworks and their wider consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to compare the effect of competing in a home country between a racer fixed effects model, which assumes a constant ability over the span of a racer's career, and a racer per season fixed effects model, which has a more plausible assumption that ability may vary between the seasons. We use data on all 50,046 performances among men and 44,311 performances among women from all the top competitions in alpine skiing that took place in the seasons from 2001–2002 to 2017–2018. We use fixed effects estimations in which we compare the performance of racers when they compete in their home country to performance of the same racers when they compete abroad. When using the racer fixed effects model, we find no relationship between competing at home and the likelihood of failing to finish the first run for both genders. However, when using the racer per season fixed effects model, we find that racers have a significantly higher probability of failing to complete the first run when competing abroad. In addition, we find that competing at home has a positive effect on racers' performance in terms of World Cup points. Given the widespread use of fixed effects models in sports-related studies, as well as in other fields, this paper illustrates the sensitivity of results to the length of the fixed effects. This should help practitioners and scholars to better understand the underlying assumptions that relate to athletes' abilities over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will discuss whether the sport of netball has the potential to interpellate a feminine style of body comportment through its rules. Feminine body comportment is a term popularised by Young's essay 'Throwing Like a Girl' (2005) to indicate how women typically present their bodies when participating in sports. Research into the sport of netball remains relatively low in output, and a philosophical examination is a potentially novel approach. Firstly, this paper will give a brief historical overview of netball. Secondly, it will present a critical application of Young's theory of feminine body comportment and its application to netball. Thirdly, it will critically discuss Chisholm's (2008) refutation of and amendments to Young's feminine modalities, as well as their wider implications. Finally, it will conclude that netball has the possibility to interpellate femininity through 'negative' modalities, but that it also has the potential to provide a pathway for female transcendence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In The Christian Life, his unfinished volume of Church Dogmatics, Karl Barth describes sport as "a special form of derangement". Barth identifies sport as a lordless power, an element of society that humans believe they control, but ends up dictating the terms of engagement. Situating his discussion of these powers in his discourse on the third petition of the Lord's Prayer, Barth calls on Christians to revolt against these things. Readers may shake their heads at Barth's rhetoric regarding sport and the labeling of it as 'lordless power'; however, in situating his remarks on the topic in the Lord's Prayer, Barth provides a new lens through which Christians might view sport. This paper focuses on Barth's approach to sport, suggesting that Christians can, through invocation and correspondence, rebel against the lordless power that is sport. It begins by situating Barth's approach to sport within the context of the sport and Christianity interface, the wider corpus of Barth studies, and his own work. After assessing Barth's writings on sport, the paper shifts to a discussion of what Barth suggests God does and what we, as humans, are called to do when we pray "Thy kingdom come". The paper concludes with reflections on how Barth's approach to sport, rooted in prayer, can affect our understanding of the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While the burgeoning researcher and practitioner interest in physical literacy has stimulated new assessment approaches, the optimal tool for assessment among school-aged children remains unclear. Objective: The purpose of this review was to: (i) identify assessment instruments designed to measure physical literacy in school-aged children; (ii) map instruments to a holistic construct of physical literacy (as specified by the Australian Physical Literacy Framework); (iii) document the validity and reliability for these instruments; and (iv) assess the feasibility of these instruments for use in school environments. Design: This systematic review (registered with PROSPERO on 21 August, 2022) was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Data Sources: Reviews of physical literacy assessments in the past 5 years (2017 +) were initially used to identify relevant assessments. Following that, a search (20 July, 2022) in six databases (CINAHL, ERIC, GlobalHealth, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus) was conducted for assessments that were missed/or published since publication of the reviews. Each step of screening involved evaluation from two authors, with any issues resolved through discussion with a third author. Nine instruments were identified from eight reviews. The database search identified 375 potential papers of which 67 full text papers were screened, resulting in 39 papers relevant to a physical literacy assessment. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Instruments were classified against the Australian Physical Literacy Framework and needed to have assessed at least three of the Australian Physical Literacy Framework domains (i.e., psychological, social, cognitive, and/or physical). Analyses: Instruments were assessed for five aspects of validity (test content, response processes, internal structure, relations with other variables, and the consequences of testing). Feasibility in schools was documented according to time, space, equipment, training, and qualifications. Results: Assessments with more validity/reliability evidence, according to age, were as follows: for children, the Physical Literacy in Children Questionnaire (PL-C Quest) and Passport for Life (PFL). For older children and adolescents, the Canadian Assessment for Physical Literacy (CAPL version 2). For adolescents, the Adolescent Physical Literacy Questionnaire (APLQ) and Portuguese Physical Literacy Assessment Questionnaire (PPLA-Q). Survey-based instruments were appraised to be the most feasible to administer in schools. Conclusions: This review identified optimal physical literacy assessments for children and adolescents based on current validity and reliability data. Instrument validity for specific populations was a clear gap, particularly for children with disability. While survey-based instruments were deemed the most feasible for use in schools, a comprehensive assessment may arguably require objective measures for elements in the physical domain. If a physical literacy assessment in schools is to be performed by teachers, this may require linking physical literacy to the curriculum and developing teachers' skills to develop and assess children's physical literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sociology of sport has developed within and been intricately involved in the critique of neoliberalism. While important, there are certain limitations to this scholarship that are related to the nature of Western liberalism and academia. This paper attempts to argue a role for Marxist–Leninist thought in the sociology of sport. Historically excluded from academia after World War II, this bias is part of what Gabriel Rockhill has described as the "Global Theory Industry," that decries socialism while remaining favorable to Western liberal capitalism. The anti-communism of the theory industry means that much of the work on neoliberalism and Marxism in the sociology of sport has ignored the experiences and efforts of socialist countries, as well as theorists from the Global South. This article broadly critiques existing neoliberal and Marxist studies of sport while arguing that a Marxist–Leninist approach may give those in the field a better account of sport and its relationship to domestic and global politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the decision-making role of Canadian national sport organization boards, identifies the processes used to facilitate decision making by these boards, and explores whether these elements differ between the various design archetypes that exist among these organizations. Forty-five semistructured interviews were conducted with board members and senior staff of 22 Canadian national sport organizations, and data were thematically analyzed. Findings indicate board members and senior staff focused on strategy as their primary role, along with control over other roles (e.g., providing advice and counsel or securing resources). Roles differed according to the organization's design archetype. Our analysis showed clear differences between design archetypes in terms of how these the organizations used structural artifacts such as subcommittees to facilitate decision making, navigated decision rights between board members and paid staff, and adhered to the Carver policy governance model promoted for national sport organizations by Sport Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slavoj Žižek's interpretation of drive as a "less than nothing" entity that goes beyond life and death itself in the space of the "undead" is the proper dimension of endurance sports. The question of how far a human can push themselves is open, and limited only by real-life investigation. This paper highlights aspects and potential limits of the drive through three stories of endurance feats: the "Iron Cowboy" James Lawrence who completed 100 Ironman triathlons in 100 days, Courtney Dauwalter who won a 240-mile ultramarathon, and Eliud Kipchoge, the fastest marathoner in history. In each story, a few themes emerge, like the paradox that "discipline is freedom," "feeling alive at the moment of death," and pure jouissance beyond biology. It is not a coincidence that the first marathoner in history actually died after making the famous trip from Marathon to Athens. In the same way, this is exactly the death that endurance athletes strive toward. This paper argues that we should understand this drive as a being-toward-death, as Heidegger's phenomenological analysis in Being and Time holds remarkably for the experience of endurance athletes. But even beyond Heidegger's being-toward-death, as well as various biological explanations for sports motivations, only Jacques Lacan's understanding of drive, and the lamella, yield a satisfying account of these fantastic athletic achievements. As well as the three stories of endurance feats, I incorporate my own experience as an endurance athlete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global issue of substance abuse demands ongoing initiatives aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With drug use remaining prevalent worldwide, interventions are critical to addressing the associated health challenges and societal implications. Exercise and physical activities have emerged as integral components of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, offering promising avenues for prevention, intervention, and recovery. Recent research underscores the efficacy of exercise in reducing substance cravings, promoting abstinence, and improving overall well-being. However, integrating exercise into SUD recovery programs presents challenges such as dropout rates and cultural considerations. This paper synthesizes existing literature on exercise integration into SUD recovery, highlighting strategies for enhancing treatment outcomes and addressing barriers to exercise adherence. Drawing on cognitive–behavioral therapy, experiential learning, motivational interviewing, and goal-setting techniques, the holistic approach outlined in this paper aims to empower individuals both mentally and physically, fostering resilience and supporting long-term recovery. In conclusion, new initiatives need to be taken by advocating for inclusive policies, promoting community engagement, and fostering collaborations across sectors. By doing so, stakeholders can optimize the effectiveness of exercise programs and contribute to sustainable rehabilitation efforts for individuals with SUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing lapses of sports-based strategies in the Philippine setting, the gap between its theoretical foundation and its praxis has ballooned, predominantly attributed to the need for more academic work in this area. Correspondingly, this study provides implications for sports-related strategies for predicting a positive public image of the Philippines and harboring peaceful state cooperation through the merits of soft power. To achieve this, this paper has contrived the objectives, including (1) identifying the implications of hosting the SEA Games 2019 for the country by examining the management of the Philippine government, (2) determining the implications of the elite sporting success of Filipino athletes in sports tournaments, and, lastly, (3) identifying the potential of sports through the implementation of sports-related strategy by the Philippines. Moreover, this paper implements qualitative methods, including document review and key informant interviews, to gather pertinent testimonials from various sub-sectors in sports, including national elite athletes, professional coaches, and sports experts, to assess the state of Philippine sports and significantly determine its potential as a serious form of public diplomacy, particularly in achieving its intended outcomes. This study infers that Philippine sports have the capability to influence the country's stature with consideration of the global media as well as advance its foreign policy of international cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a landmark study of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the field of sports analytics. We developed a survey that examined personal and job-related demographics, as well as individual perceptions and experiences about EDI in the workplace. We sent the survey to individuals in the five major North American professional leagues, representatives from the Olympic and Paralympic Committees in Canada and the U.S., the NCAA Division I programs, companies in sports tech/analytics, and university research groups. Our findings indicate the presence of a clear dominant group in sports analytics identifying as: young (72.0 %), White (69.5 %), heterosexual (89.7 %) and male (82.0 %). Within professional sports, males in management positions earned roughly $30,000 (27 %) more on average compared to females. A smaller but equally alarming pay gap of $17,000 (14 %) was found between White and racialized management personnel. Of concern, females were nearly five times as likely to experience discrimination and twice as likely to have considered leaving their job due to isolation or feeling unwelcome. While they had similar levels of agreement regarding fair processes for rewards and compensation, females "strongly agreed" less often than males regarding equitable support, equitable workload, having a voice, and being taken seriously. Over one third (36.3 %) of females indicated that they "strongly agreed" that they must work harder than others to be valued equally, compared to 9.8 % of males. We conclude the paper with concrete recommendations that could be considered to create a more equitable, diverse and inclusive environment for individuals working within the sports analytics sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The old adage has two people out hiking who run into a bear. One starts running while the other asks 'why are you running? You can't outrun a bear'. To which the other responds, 'I don't have to outrun the bear. I only have to outrun you'. Hiking/trekking is not typically a competitive endeavor characterized by contests but, like many endeavors/pursuits/activities, competition can be injected into it; thereby sportifying it. Swimming is a sport (under certain conditions). At the same time, it is also a recreational activity and a form of physical exercise; likewise angling/fishing, climbing, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, rowing, surfing, et al. The categorization of many activities under the umbrella of sport has it uses to understand the wider concept of what is sport, but the purpose of why one engages in 'physical activities taking place in a natural environment' can sometimes be more important than whether some activities might or might not qualify to be classified under the rubric of sports at all. Indicators exist to show whether participants are actually engaged toward—driven in a way, even—to further their skills in their focused activity (if it is a focused activity at all!––i.e. a 'serious leisure' pursuit or just a recreational hobby). From this perspective (of looking at sport-like and sporting activities in other than Olympic-style forms) this paper explores the differentiations between sport (including nature sport) contests, nature challenge activities (NCAs) and outdoor recreation from the standpoint of the most relevant factors that distinguish them: rules, skill development, purpose for engaging in them. This paper also makes the case that differentiating participants in the above activities by purpose (as either nature challenge recreationalists or nature sport devotees) has utility; to better help research into people's engagement in physical activities in natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies whether Major League Baseball umpires displayed home bias in their pitch calls, using data on pitch call accuracy from the 2010–2019 seasons to isolate evaluator bias from player performances. The main findings are consistent with umpire home bias, as home batters on average received more called balls on actual ball pitches and fewer called strikes on actual strike pitches, which work in their favor. The bias is not entirely explained by umpire, player, or stadium characteristics, nor is it attributable to umpiring inconsistencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how students understand physical education (PE) as a subject in the Danish upper secondary school (USS) and discusses the role of the subject after the Danish USS reform of 2017. The paper presents a 6 months' field study of PE lessons in 2 Danish upper secondary schools. Both schools were located in the Danish capital area. A total of 42 Lessons in 4 PE-classes [N = 240] were observed throughout the 6 months and 8 focus group interviews were conducted with students [N = 54] at the end of the field study. We are inspired by the theoretical contribution of Hartmut Rosa to analyse how students understand physical education (PE) and critically discuss and reflect upon the how this understanding relates to the structure of PE as a USS subject in the light of the political development in the Danish upper secondary schools for the past decades. The study has shown that most students value the subject because it represents a place of resonance during an otherwise accelerated everyday life. At the same time, the USS reform of 2017 gives PE a smaller role in the overall curriculum. However, PE is now, for the first time, an exam subject after the third year of USS. Therefore, the article contributes to a debate regarding the consequences the increased focus on achievement may have on the subject as a place of resonance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify all of the unexploited potentialities of sports activities with regard to sustainability by answering the following question: Considering the priorities that the 2030 Agenda identified with regard to sustainability, what does sport contribute to the process of transition towards a more sustainable global scenario? According to the European Union Council, sport and physical activity play a strategic role in the global challenge toward sustainability and achieving the 17 SDGs. The contribution of sport to the 2030 Agenda is indeed strategic. However, through a non-systematic review, the authors have observed almost a complete absence of SDGs within sports literature. Discussing the results through the lens of the SDGs, the authors have identified a series of qualitative and quantitative research opportunities connected with the 17 SDGs and related targets. The authors have also identified a total of 27 research hypotheses. This evidence could support academics, sports managers, professionals, and practitioners in identifying their contribution to the global priorities towards sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]