SPM123 International Organization of Sports (10 ECTS) 

Course facts

Introduction

The point of departure for this web-based course will be international organizations and their roles in the sporting area. The course examines the functioning of international sporting bodies such as the IOC and international federations. In addition, international organizations such as the EU and the UN are discussed in a global context. Finally, the course will emphasize challenges in international sports development and events related to governance, human rights and sportswashing. The structure of the course is divided into six modules:

• Sport models
• The structure of international sport organizations
• Governance in international sport
• International sporting events
• Challenges in the democratic understanding of sports
• Sportswashing

Learning outcomes

After completion of the course, the student will

• have knowledge about various 'sport models' around the world, such as the Scandinavian, the European, the American and the Chinese.
• be able to explain how international organizations such as the IOC, WADA and international sport federations operate and understand the role of various stakeholders.
• be able to analyze the role of international organizations in areas such as governance.
• be able to discuss if international events at different levels are vital to the structure of international sport.
• have knowledge about human rights agenda concerning international sport organizations, understand how international sports are used as a soft power and how "sportswashing" is used to sanitize and distract from political and humanitarian criticism.

Learning styles and activities

Online teaching is built on six modules. The modules consist of written text and video clips, including tests and encouraging the students to reflect on the topics.

Even though this course is online, and the students can steer the learning process by themselves, they are encouraged to create discussion groups.

Students from Norway, Sweden and Denmark may use their own language.

Mandatory assignment

All pages in each module must be completed. The online-learning platform "Canvas" will automatically control the progress.

At the end of every module, the student must submit a reflection-note about a topic assigned by the responsible academic person. The reflection note will be evaluated with pass/fail.

All reflection notes must be passed to qualify for the final home exam.

Assessment

The final home exam exists of three or four different questions. 3500 words. The exam is graded A-F.

Texts are to be submitted via Wiseflow, which will automatically run through plagiarism control.

Core material

1 digital compendium - available through Canvas (1 PDF):
Grønkjær, A. (Red.). (2023). SPM123: International organization of sports: Spring 2024 [Digital compendium].

The reference list (table of contents) for the digital compendium, alphabetical in APA-style, 7th ed.:
Burton, N., & Naraine, M. L. (2023). Sport and Saudi Arabia: Mimetic isomorphism, soft power, and disempowerment. In S. Chadwick, P. Widdop & M. M. Goldman (Eds.), The geopolitical economy of sport: Power, politics, money, and the state (pp. 141-147). Routledge.

Chadwick, S., & Widdop, P. (2023). What the cases of Gazprom, the NBA, and Qatar Mean for sport industry decision-makers. In S. Chadwick, P. Widdop & M. M. Goldman (Eds.), The geopolitical economy of sport: Power, politics, money, and the state (pp. 287-294). Routledge.

Goretti, L. (2023). Athletes' early responses to the war against Ukraine. In S. Chadwick, P. Widdop & M. M. Goldman (Eds.), The geopolitical economy of sport: Power, politics, money, and the state (pp. 9-19). Routledge.

Krieger, J. (2021). Power and politics in world athletics: A critical history. Routledge.
Pages  220-251.

van Bottenburg, M. (2011). Why are the European and American sports worlds so different? Path dependence in European and American sports history. In A. Tomlinson, C. Young & R. Holt (Eds.), Sport and the transformation of modern Europe: State, media and markets (pp. 205-225). Routledge.

Vissing, Y., & Zajda, J. (2023). Globalisation, human rights, sports, and culture. In J. Zajda & Y. Vissing (Eds), Discourses of globalization, human rights and sports (pp. 207-221). Springer.

7 electronic articles and 1 book chapter:
To open the electronic articles and the book chapter off campus, you need to install a VPN client.

Boykoff, J. (2021). Olympic sustainability or Olympian smokescreen. Nature Sustainability, 4(4), 294-295. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00710-w

Boykoff, J. (2023). The Tokyo 2020 Olympics: From a “safe pair of hands” to a corrupt pair of claws, Contemporary Japan, 35(1), 55-57. https//doi.org/10.1080/18692729.2023.2168836

Chappelet, J. L., & Kübler-Mabbott, B. (2008). A Routledge online studies on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Routledge.
Chapter 1, pages 5-18. This chapter is available online. NB! 1 user at time!

Harris, S., Dowling M.. & Houlihan, B. (2021) An analysis of governance failure and power dynamics in international sport: The Russian doping scandal. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 13(3), 359-378. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2021.1898443

Krieger, J., Hao, Y. A., & Gering, T. (2023). International Sport Federations as forums to initiate soft power processes: The case of Russia. Asian Journal of Sport History & Culture, 2(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/27690148.2023.2196268

Næss, H. E. (2017). Global sport governing bodies and human rights: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the Bahrain Grand Prix and corporate social responsibility. European Journal for Sport and Society, 14(3), 226-243. https://doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2017.1349301

Skey, M. (2023). Sportswashing: Media headline or analytic concept? International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 58(5), 749-764. https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902221136086

Zheng, J., Chen, S., Tan, T. C., & Lau, P. W. C. (2018) Sport policy in China (Mainland). International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 10(3), 469-491. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2017.1413585

Anbefalt litteratur

1 book:
Gems, G. R., & Pfister, G. (2009). Understanding American sports. Routledge. You may borrow the book from the library.
The book is also available online.
NB! To open the electronic book off campus, you need to install a VPN client.

Parts from 1 book:
Chadwick, S., Widdop, P., & Goldman, M. M. (Eds.). (2023). The geopolitical economy of sport: Power, politics, money, and the state. Routledge.
Chapter 18 and 34. You may borrow the book from the library.

Strittmatter, A-M., Fahlén, J., & Houlihan, B. (Eds.). (2022). The stakeholders of the Olympic movement. In Stakeholder analysis and sport organisations. Routledge.
Pages 190-212. You may borrow the book from the library.
The book is also available online.
NB! To open the electronic book off campus, you need to install a VPN client.

1 chapter from i e-book:
Dorsey, J. M. (2016). Political interference, power struggles, corruption and greed: The undermining of football governance in Asia. In G. Sweeney & Transparency International (Eds.), Global Corruption Report: Sport (pp. 39-42). Routledge. https://www.transparency.org/files/content/feature/1.5_PoliticalInterferenceAsia_Dorsey_GCRSport.pdf

4 electronic articles:
To open the electronic articles off campus, you need to install a VPN client.

Chappelet, J. L. (2018). Beyond governance: The need to improve the regulation of international sport. Sport in Society, 21(5), 724-734. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2018.1401355

Chappelet, J.L. (2021) The Governance of the Olympic System: From one to many stakeholders. Journal of Global Sport Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2021.1899767

Charway, D. & Houlihan, B. (2020) Country profile of Ghana: Sport, politics and nation-building. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 12(3) 497-512. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2020.1775677

De Bosscher, V., Shibli, S., Westerbeek, H., & van Bottenburg, M. (2016). Convergence and divergence of elite sport policies: Is there a one-size-fits-all model to develop international sporting success? Journal of Global Sport Management, 1(3-4), 70-89. https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2016.1237203

1 newspaper article:
Boykoff, J. (2015, 30. July). Beijing and Almaty contest Winter Olympics in human rights nightmare. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/30/china-kazakhstan-winter-olympics-2022

1 article from a website:
Elsborg, S. (2023, 12. January). The expansion of Saudi investments in sport: From football to esport. Play the Game. https://www.playthegame.org/news/the-expansion-of-saudi-investments-in-sport-from-football-to-esport/