http://hdl.handle.net/1893/204 This community contains the ePrints and eTheses produced by the Faculty's staff and students. 2026-10-24T15:46:28Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38418 Title: Sportwashing: a growing international concern in sport-for-development Author(s): Walker, Ross; Sharples, Bradley; Lin, Chun-Chieh; Holmes, Matthew Abstract: With organisations today required to operate in more ethically and socially responsible ways, different types of ‘washing’ in sport are emerging, while instances of illiberal practices, such as human rights issues, are becoming a growing concern worldwide. Thus, to situate sportwashing as a global issue, the research draws on four international case studies from England (Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games), Taiwan (2022 Workers’ World Cup), Zambia (Response Network) and Scotland (Scottish basketball). Through this global lens, the research offers insights into structural incentives for sportwashing amongst efforts to leverage sport for social development. Collectively, the cases highlight how organisations operate under banners of social impact; albeit underpinned by broader economic, political, and performance-based objectives. Within the individual cases, nine themes: commercialisation, participation and talent development; institutional legitimacy and reputation building; funding and power beneath democratic prestige; and social exclusion and legacy framing. Furthermore, it is argued that sportwashing manifests by over-exaggerating social impact through and from sport. While the extent of sportwashing varies across ecosystems, such altruistic public-facing notions of social impact actively obfuscate lived realities and go unnoticed, subsequently constraining people’s development. A key issue entails that sportwashing is largely unchallenged until it is too late to proactively address, with the main ramifications experienced by the people and communities that programmes were meant to support. The research thus advances SFD for understanding the negative impact of washing in social impact‑driven environments. It also highlights the need to document sportwashing cases individually, as considering sportwashing broadly conceals individual contextual nuances. 2026-10-05T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38413 Title: Social impacts of community sport organisations: a scoping literature review Author(s): Sun, Qingjie; Walker, Ross; Rocha, Claudio Abstract: The aim of this study was to conduct a scoping literature review (SLR) to explore and describe the social impacts of community sport organisations (CSOs) within local communities in which they are located. Following the PRISMA protocol, we conducted a search of academic and grey literature in sport and broader social sciences and humanities databases. From the initial 16,438 records found, 40 made the final sample. Specifically, we conducted a scoping review on CSOs to describe what social impacts such organisations have produced based on previous empirical data. Findings showed that social impacts are not automatically produced by sport participation but emerge through deliberate organisational practices, relationship building and strategic resource mobilisation through CSOs. The selected studies showed that these deliberate organisational practices operate across organisational, individual, and community levels. The review also revealed that whilst sports participation is the fundamental instrument for individual changes and for CSOs’ survival, participation is not sufficient to produce social impacts. To produce social impacts, CSOs need deliberate programming, with activities designed specifically to promote social development. The study indicates that purposeful approaches are the most optimal means for accruing social impacts. Thus, social impacts within CSOs are produced not from participation itself but from the intentional strategies of sport programmes. 2026-12-31T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38411 Title: Interrelations between access to urban sports structures and equipment, physical activity and the legacy of mega sporting events in Brazil Author(s): Paiva, Rodrigo; Bogus, Lucia; Rocha, Claudio Abstract: Several studies attempt to identify factors that influence the adoption, or lack thereof, of the habit of practicing physical exercises and sports. There are objective determinants related to the availability of sports practice, such as access to urban facilities and equipment for sports. Globally, governments adopt the strategy of hosting mega sporting events under the pretext of boosting the economy and promoting a legacy that, among other aspects, would leave host cities with structures and equipment built for the event that would encourage sports participation by the population. The study aimed to understand the interrelationships between the hosting of mega sporting events, the legacy of physical-sports structures, and the adoption of physical activity habits by the population in host cities. In this study, characterized as a conceptual manuscript, a strong correlation was observed between the availability of public facilities and the population's involvement in sports. Access to diversified, decentralized structures, located close to home or work, positively impacts the promotion of healthy habits and constitutes the primary factors for the implementation of effective public policies. It was also found that the structural legacy of mega sporting events for the universalization of access to sport has not been a priority in the commitments of the host cities. 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38407 Title: Does Communication Alone Fail in Crisis? The Relationship-Mediating Model in Securing Residents' Supportive Attitudes towards Hosting the Olympic Games Author(s): Kim, Sungkyung; Kang, Yeonheung; Manoli, Argyro Elisavet Abstract: While research on event management often draws on social exchange and media theories in understanding residents’ supportive attitudes, the role of government–public relationships and strategic communication remains underexplored. Addressing this gap, this study examines how bridging communication strategies affect residents’ supportive attitudes through government–public relationships dimensions in the pandemic-postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics context. Using data from 500 Tokyo residents and partial least squares equation modeling, two serial mediation models—affect (satisfaction → trust) and cognition led (trust → satisfaction)—were tested. Findings reveal that bridging communication does not directly influence residents’ supportive attitudes; rather, it operates entirely through sequential mediation of satisfaction and trust. Both affect- and cognition-led pathways demonstrated similar effectiveness, suggesting that emotional and cognitive relationship components function as equally important mechanisms. These findings demonstrate that effective communication alone is insufficient; governments must foster genuine relationships grounded in both satisfaction and trust to secure support for mega sport events under challenging circumstances. 2026-07-28T00:00:00Z