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Introduction
Sport is an essential part of people’s life, whether it is a professional athlete or an ordinary regular gym attendee. After global popularity of the sports industry, it has become necessary to regard it as a way of life. However, such an attitude can be problematic for States, regional organizations, physical culture institutions and the rest of interested parties. Of particular importance in this matter is the area of management. Sports management allows certain national sports to achieve significant heights. In view of this, achievements bring pride for the nation, honor for the country and its people. Moreover, sports management can be an effective and efficient way to help young athletes in the event of traumatic situations such as abuse and neglect.
Sports governance is an extraordinary characteristic and a prerequisite for gaining world prestige and a significant reputation for any country. This is because sports success largely influences public, financial and political rise and formation (Winand & Anagnostopoulos, 2019). Achievements in the sports industry also contribute to the growth of the active tourism sphere in the countries. The study of this issue is valuable, since it is an vital side of the increase of the state and its society, contributing to various spheres of its functioning.
Many changes in the world and society have occurred since the emergence of sport industry and its distribution. Chatzigianni (2018) states that “sport world has been witnessing the emergence of a continuously increasing number of institutions and organizations which assert some kind of authority to all aspects of the process of producing and consuming it” (p. 1455). The main task in this direction is to create conditions conducive of attracting young people, children and adolescents to a healthy lifestyle, preventing diseases and offenses, increasing physical activity and love for sports of the population.
Thus, sports governance should be aimed at forming a certain model of optimal character. Within the framework of this concept, there should be a clear distribution and consistency of competence and powers, functions and responsibilities of all involved parties, the field of sports. In addition, everything should take place at all levels of state and municipal administration. The main goals of the development of a sports management policy are:
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the creation of an innovative approach to the organization of the development of the views of citizens to physical activity from the position of sports;
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the development and implementation of activities aimed at promoting sports as an essential element of a healthy lifestyle;
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the modernization of the system of physical education for all age groups of people;
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the improvement of the training of professional athletes, as they contribute to the development of competitiveness in the international arena;
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the strengthening of social assistance for representatives of professional sports;
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the development of sports activities in such areas as organizational and managerial, personnel, scientific and methodological;
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the arrangement of sports infrastructure;
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improving and increasing the financing of sports activities.
Gymnastics Australia
Gymnastics Australia (GA) is an organization dedicated to the leadership of gymnastics in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and the main mission of Gymnastics Australia is to promote, develop and develop gymnastics for the enjoyment of the population (“About us,” n.d.). The programs developed by Gymnastics Australia are aimed at providing entertainment, fitness and basic movement skills in a safe environment.
They can be suitable for all people, regardless of age, characteristics, earnings or social status. In addition, GA programs strongly support the development of Australian athletes. This is done to achieve even greater success in the international arena, including such global competitions as the World Championships and the Olympic Games. The Australian organization also ensures qualified services and quality products, providing a base that encourages training and continuous improvement of the activities of various sports clubs and accredited professional coaches and referees.
However, recently, there have been many reports claiming that the organization Gymnastics Australia has an incorrect attitude towards athletes. Churches (2021) stated that the AHRC stated that “win-at-all-costs” culture “created unacceptable risks for the safety and well-being of often very young gymnasts” (para. 4). This was concluded after conducting a number of interviews and analyzing over hundred written submissions (Wright et al., 2017). The abuse and harming of gymnasts have existed for many decades. This is a terrible event that has had a profound and traumatic impact on its victims.
The Australian Human Rights Commission called on Gymnastics Australia to apologize to the injured athletes, which GA complied with. Moreover, in its statement, the organization stressed that it is working to attract changes. GA pointed out that they are implementing four work streams which represent the particular recommendations of the AHRC Report. These proposals are athlete experience, complaints and investigations, coaching and governance and structure (“Gymnastics Australia statement,” 2021). The main achievement of the organization was the assignment a couple of sportsman member to the Committee on the Integrity of Gymnastics Australia. It is expected that they would have the ability to effectively use their experience at both the recreational and elite levels.
In addition, Gymnastics Australia gives a significant role to the motivation of athletes and the development of the desire to become part of the path to change for the well-being and comfort of athletes. The official duties of the newly minted representatives include the development of a Youth Advisory Group. It will give young people an opportunity to express their opinions and be heard by others. This will allow the bodies involved in the management of sports to have a direct connection with those who constitute the majority of the athletes’ base.
Policy Approach and the Key Recommendations
The development of a specific policy is a complicated process that involves many different specialists. Blanco (2017) emphasizes that “it is an emerging paradigm which implies the act of governing sports through the participation of various multiple actors and stakeholders such as the government, business and industry leaders, academe, and civil society organizations” (p. 105). These parties can act though legitimization and realization of physical activity plans, approaches, and businesses for physical culture superiority and growth.
Sport has grown to be a crucial portion of lives of individuals and all areas affecting it and this is especially true for the sectorial economy. Physical culture is increasingly penetrating into all spheres of people’s lives, developing such aspects as attitude to the state or specific business conduct. In addition, the development of the sports industry is the most important area of entrepreneurial activity. It provides employment for many people in sports and these industries replenish the federal budgets, which also makes it possible to solve the social problems of athletes and the population as a whole.
Australian Human Rights Commission gave twelve recommendations that can sufficiently improve the situation in Australian gymnastics industry. De Dycker (2019) states that “rules should be set out in order to ensure that sports organizations are governed in a proper and ethical manner” (p. 116). The most essential ones were the creation of a state’s social media strategy, expenditure of the physical activity’s knowledge about child abuse (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2021). Moreover, development of provision of information connected to the appearance, mass control and compulsive eating problems and to enhance comparability and support implementation and correlate modern managment with Sport Australia’s Sport Governance Principles more effectively.
The implementation of these recommendations through policy approach is of critical importance, since it applies not only to athletes, but also to the younger generation as a whole. Problems related to self-esteem, relationships with peers, exposure to violence and humiliation are more common in modern society than people might think (McGee et al., 2019). Therefore, it is important to spread awareness about these aspects in order to create a comfortable and safe atmosphere not only in the sports arena, but also outside it.
For these reasons, the policy that would be best for implementation is the Child Safe Policy. This is a well-coordinated policy that was created in 2019. Gymnastics Australia emphasized that they were the first national sports organizations to create a separate child safety policy (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2021). Its main goal was to strengthen the compliance of gymnastics Australia with safety in relation to its children’s athletes. The basis of this policy is the support of young athletes, which implies reporting and timely response to cases of abuse.
Child Safe Policy implies involvement and following certain rules. Therefore, specialized organizations should conduct various educational events in places of unlimited access and giving the opportunity to the nearest relatives of young athletes to observe their children during training. This will also contribute to additional informing of parents and guardians about the norms of behavior and actions that can be of significant importance if a child has deviant behavior during the educational process (Bi et al., 2018). Moreover, the CSP implies that all hierarchical levels of the sports industry should adhere to certain norms and keep records so that the closest relatives of children are given a chance to attend training without fear of negative consequences.
If there is information that a child has been exposed to any kind of violence, it must be immediately brought to a specially designated body for the prevention of the freedom of minors. In the case of Gymnastics Australia, this data must be obtained by senior staff who has the ability and means to communicate it to subsequent instances. The CSP provides that the process of transferring statement of underage harassment should be settled at the degree at which the accusation was made (Perso, 2019). However, this is one of the main disadvantages of the policy, since in this case most of the issues did not go beyond the GA.
Child Safety approach represents a sufficient way to improve the work of GA if implemented correctly. Furthermore, it aligns with Sport Australia’s Sport Governance Principles of work. The Commission established governance principles of four areas, which could assist in successful management. Thus, impactful cooperation and collaboration, strong engagement and involvement, comparability and availability and controllability and transparency are of particular meaning. Asio et al. (2020) state that “child protection policy is a must to protect children from what happens inside a school or outside its premises” (p. 1).
The Commission recommended that Gymnastics Australia conduct detailed research to reorganize the work of the board of directors on the safety of young athletes. This should include monitoring the screening of the safe condition of children and their environment, carried out at all levels of the organization’s processes. Moreover, it is necessary to develop the purpose and consequences of problems affecting the safety of young people and gives priority to the opinion and needs of athletes.
Follow-up measures should also include the introduction of Sport Integrity Australia resources related to the safe selection and verification of children. Conducting trainings on the topic of violence, both physical and moral, or about psychological problems that can be caused by involvement in the competitive sports industry and the engagement of Member Protection Information Officers were recommended by the Commission. The last important aspect is the creation of an official mechanism to help and ensure the constant and timely cooperation of personnel who are responsible for the safety of young people and their protection at all levels of sports industry.
Legal Compliance
In Australia, state and territory governments are responsible for the work of child protection services. In addition, they monitor the implementation of measures to prevent the occurrence of undesirable situations between minors. Among them may be violence, both physical and moral, bullying or another type of causing any harm to a person. Consideration of legislation is important in the development and application of any policy.
In addition, the legislative part of the policy ensures the safety of children at work and access to information, including on the Internet. For this purpose, the classification of available information by age categories is introduced. Moreover, it is prescribed that violation of the legislation on the protection of children from information that harms their health and development entails responsibility. Dangerous information for children is considered to be the knowledge that can convince underage young people to commit actions that can harm their life or health (Zhao & Sang, 2020). This aspect can also include incentives to try drugs, tobacco or alcohol. Information that justifies or covers violence and cruelty is considered dangerous for children.
Conclusion
Sports management plays one of the most important roles in this industry. It is aimed at focusing on the development of spectacular sports that can bring income. In addition, they can help bring the country to a higher level in the international arena. To achieve the best results, with the help of sports management, the state devotes a lot of funds to the education and motivation of the sports generation (Dixon, 2018). There is an active agitation of physical culture and an active lifestyle.
However, in some cases, when the goal is to achieve the best results, other points are overlooked. This happened in the case of Gymnastics Australia, when the Commission conducted an investigation. Its results showed the presence of cases of violence and neglect of children and underage athletes. To solve this problem, the Child Safe Policy can be applied, which pays special attention to the education of not only children, but also parents about the importance of caring for the younger generation. The transfer of knowledge can take place through specialized trainings or individual conversations with guardians. In conclusion, it is vital to underline that the engagement of such a policy is a long-term solution that requires certain costs and step-by-step work.
References
About Us. (n.d.). Gymnastics Australia. Web.
Asio, J. M. R., A Bayucca, S., & Jimenez, E. (2020). Child protection policy awareness of teachers and responsiveness of the school: Their relationship and implications. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 9(1), 1-10. Web.
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2021). Change the routine: Report on the independent review into gymnastics in Australia. Australian Human Rights Commission.
Bi, X., Yang, Y., Li, H., Wang, M., Zhang, W., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2018). Parenting styles and parent–adolescent relationships: The mediating roles of behavioral autonomy and parental authority. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2187.
Blanco, D. (2017). Sports governance: Issues, challenges and perspectives. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 17(1), 105-111.
Chatzigianni, E. (2018). Global sport governance: Globalizing the globalized. Sport in Society, 21(9), 1454-1482. Web.
Churches, M. (2021). Australian Human Rights Commission releases disturbing findings in Australian gymnastics. Nine.
De Dycker, S. (2019). Good governance in Sport: comparative law aspects. The International Sports Law Journal, 19(1), 116-128.
Dixon, N. (2018). The proper place for external motivations for sport and why they need not subvert its internal goods. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 12(4), 361-374. Web.
Gymnastics Australia statement – Change the Routine update. (2021). Gymnastics Australia. Web.
McGee, Z., Alexander, C., Cunningham, K., Hamilton, C., & James, C. (2019). Assessing the linkage between exposure to violence and victimization, coping, and adjustment among urban youth: findings from a research study on adolescents. Children, 6(3).
Perso, T. (2019). Child Safe Policy and Framework. Policy, 21. 1-17.
Winand, M., & Anagnostopoulos, C. (Eds.). (2019). Research handbook on sport governance. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Wright, K., Swain, S., & McPhillips, K. (2017). The Australian royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 74, 1-9.
Zhao, L., & Sang, N. (2020). The influence of visually dangerous information on imitation in children. Journal of Motor Behavior, 52(5), 578-589. Web.
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