Analyzing Swiss high-performance sport policies from within : involving policymakers and applying a mixed-methods research design / Andreas C. Weber.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weber, Andreas C., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sports and state--Switzerland--Case studies.

Sports and state.

Athletes--Government policy--Switzerland--Case studies.

Athletes.

Policy sciences--Research--Methodology.

Policy sciences.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : illustrations

Place of Publication:

London : SAGE Publications Ltd, 2026.

Summary:

This case study provides insights into applied research in the context of national-level sports policymaking in Switzerland. The project culminated in a national press conference hosted by the Swiss Confederation and Swiss Olympic, where the findings were presented in 2021.The case study is based on the research project jointly funded by Swiss Olympic—the national umbrella organization for sports and the National Olympic Committee (NOC)—and the Federal Office of Sports (FOSPO). The project resulted in a national report titled “Elite Sport in Switzerland 2019” by Kempf et al. (2021), which aimed to provide a detailed overview of the system used to promote Swiss athletes, coaches, and officials of national sport federations (NSFs).Data collection comprised three online surveys targeting the full population of nationally supported athletes (n = 1,450), coaches (n = 734), and officials (n = 122) of NSFs rather than a sample. Response rates were rather high (79%, 74%, and 84%, respectively) compared with other studies of this scale using online surveys. Additionally, the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen (SFISM) analyzed more than 500 literature or policy documents and interviewed 87 experts.Three particularities for conducting such a national project can be reported. First, over the three-year study period, four workshops were held with national-level stakeholders and target groups to discuss research design and preliminary findings, this to enhance the interpretation of results. Second, nine meetings were held with a steering group consisting of the main national-level stakeholders: Swiss Olympic, FOSPO, Foundation of Swiss Sport Aid, Swiss Armed Forces, and Swiss Coach Education. Third, the project was methodologically supported by the SPLISS Consortium, an international research group led by Prof. Dr. Veerle de Bosscher, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, and Prof. Dr. Simon Shibli, Sheffield Hallam University, UK.The study reported a snapshot of high-performance sport in Switzerland, representing the nine pillars of the SPLISS-model (De Bosscher et al., 2006). The results were presented separately for summer and winter Olympic sports; for non-Olympic sports; and for athletes, coaches, and officials. The authors concluded that in many areas, the Swiss high-performance sport system is competitive and supports Olympic sports efficiently.This study discusses a topic or area that is probably rather unknown to many readers due to the engagement of policymakers and stakeholders as key partners in conducting this research. This approach brings with it the associated potential challenges of designing and conducting unbiased research. This case study outlines how these issues were managed alongside familiar issues with research design and implementation. This discussion may guide researchers looking to conduct applied research in a political environment at the national level of decision-making.

Notes:

Description based on XML content.

ISBN:

9781036252373

OCLC:

1594889655

Publisher Number:

T302910