Policy transfer in elite sport development: the case of elite swimming in China

Abstract

Research question: This article explores policy transfer in the context of (non-professional) elite sport development through a detailed examination of Chinese elite swimming organisations since the early 2000s. The analysis is structured according to the five main aspects of policy transfer: rationale, actors, sources, elements and content, and conditioning factors. Research methods: Data were collected from 15 semi-structured interviews with officials, coaches and scholars. These interviews were complemented by a content analysis of official and semi-official documents from both relevant sports governing bodies and influential Chinese media. Results and findings: The major findings are that (1) the most important factors propelling the policy transfer were poor performances at major international sports events and a desire to be successful at the home Olympic Games; (2) the key policy transfer actors included government 'insiders' and foreign experts; (3) Australia was the main source of new policy because of a combination of political, geographical, economic and sport-specific factors; (4) the policy content transferred focused mainly on ideas, methods and techniques rather than deeper-level structures and ideology; and (5) source nations sought to constrain the policy transfer process.

Elite sport policies and international sporting success: a panel data analysis of European women’s national football team performance

“…However, a number of studies (e.g. Frick & Simmons, 2008;Tan, Zheng, & Dickson, 2019;Wicker, Orlowski, & Breuer, 2018) indicate that coach quality and expertise can positively influence team success. In particular, Castagna, Impelizzeri, Cecchini, Rampinini, and Alvarez (2009) argue that specialism of coaches can help enhance players' training standards which, in turn, positively impact players' performance within months.…”

Understanding the complexity of provincial-level elite sport policy change: The case of Shanghai municipality

“…Notably, this research does not endeavour to offer an 'all-powerful formula' (Zheng et al, 2018b), 'one-size-fits-all' solution (Cloete and De Coning, 2016) or 'silver bullet' (Wu, 2021) that is useful to all nations or regions. Instead, it focuses on 'thick description' (Tracy, 2010) in the context of Shanghai Municipality, which is in line with the argument that contextual uniqueness is an inherent feature of social phenomena and accompanying qualitative research (Shenton, 2004;Tan et al, 2019). Therefore, audiences both within and outside academia are encouraged to evaluate the transferability of the results based on their specific situations in a critical manner.…”

Identification of Athlete Transfer Problematic Experiences toward the Social Adaptation Ability in Female Futsal Athletes

“…Athlete transfers are essential to note and study [3]- [6] and are one of many policies that can be used to get the desired medal in a sports championship [7]. In China, there is a study on transfer policy in the context of the development of elite/ amateur sports written by Tien Chin Tan et al in 2019.…”

“…Although transfer policies might be helpful, they can sometimes have unexpected consequences. Consequently, the support of the groups or people engaged in this process is necessary for transfer policies to function [3].…”