The field of sport governance has been increasingly scrutinized due to a slew of doping incidents, corruption scandals, and match-fixing events, particularly involving prestigious organizations like the Olympics and FIFA. These issues, combined with the state's increased involvement in sport and attempts to restructure its operations through New Public Management (NPM), have necessitated a focus on governance that prioritizes equality, integrity, transparency, and sustainability. Efforts to tackle these challenges have seen various entities, including sports organizations, the corporate sector, and academia, converge to explore political, legal, and policy-based solutions. Despite substantial research from diverse disciplines, substantial gaps remain, due in part to a dominance of international perspectives focusing on the Global North and an emphasis on sport development rather than sport for development.

This Research Topic aims to explore the effectiveness of governance measures within sports, considering questions like the persistence or evolution of governance issues, and the potential transition to a post-governance era in sport. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, the objective is to scrutinize the impact of governance reforms and assess whether new challenges have emerged, if old problems persist in new forms, and if sustainable governance models are achievable.

To gather further insights in the broad and complex landscape of sport governance, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• State, Public Policy, and the Shifting Role of Government in Sport Governance
• Global Inequalities in Sport Governance
• Equity, Inclusion, and Representation
• Environmental Governance and Sustainability in Sport
• Governance Across Levels: Macro, Meso, and Micro
• Evidence-Based Governance: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Policy Making
• Sport for Development
• Professional Sports
• Civil Society, Corporate Influence, and the Role of NGOs
• College/University Sports
• Advocacy
• The Future of Governance in Sport in an Era of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We invite submissions from a variety of disciplinary, theoretical, and methodological approaches that address these pertinent questions in sport governance.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Sport Governance: Challenges, Developments, and Future Pathways