Full Description
Sport is often perceived as being divided into two separate domains: mass participation and elite . In many countries, policy and funding in these two fields are managed by separate agencies, and investment is often seen as a choice between the two. Elite Sport and Sport-for-All explores the points of connection and sources of tension between elite and mass participation sport. The book's multi-disciplinary and international line-up of contributors seeks to define, examine, and develop solutions to this problematic relationship.
Drawing on research and case studies from around the world—with examples from Denmark, Canada, South Africa and Israel—the book explores key contemporary issues including:
does effective talent identification require depth of participation?
do elite performances inspire greater participation?
the role of the Paralympic movement in mass participation and elite sport;
and the economic aspects of their co-existence.
The first study of its kind, Elite Sport and Sport-for-All addresses a central dichotomy in sport policy and, as such, is important reading for all students, researchers, policy-makers or administrators working in sport development and policy.
Contents
Foreword 1. More Fulfilling Lives Through Sport: An Intersubjective Justification for Balancing Elite Sport and Sport for All 2. Elite sports: what is it good for: the case of EYOF Utrecht 2013 3. Arguments and evidence of bridging elite performance and mass participation sports from an economic perspective 4. The question of the trickle-down effect in Danish sport: Can a relationship between elite sport success and mass participation be identified? 5. Two Solitudes: Grassroots Sport and High Performance Sport in Canada 6. The Problem with the Pyramid: why most models of talent development are flawed 7. Opportunities for 'all' versus 'gold' for sport and country: a South African discourse 8. The Paralympic Movement and Sport for All: Elite, Recreational and Inclusive Sport for Development 9. Elite Sport and Sport-for-All: Tales of a Small Country 10. Sexual exploitation in women's sport: Can female athletes respond to it? 11. A Sporting Utopia: easing the essential tension in sport policy
