Title: Leave it to the experts: the politics of 'athlete-centeredness' in the Canadian sport system

Authors: Gregory Jackson, Ian Ritchie

Addresses: Department of Physical Education and Kinesiology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. ' Department of Physical Education and Kinesiology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Abstract: For decades, national governments have used sporting success as an instrument for nation-building and the promotion of national image. In Canada, events associated with this instrumental use of sport have led to calls for an |athlete-centered| system, one that involves athletes at all levels of the system in decision making. In this paper, we contextualise important political events surrounding the creation and implementation of the Canadian sport system before examining the example of Canadian antidoping policy in order to determine if athlete-centeredness has been a primary focus of policymakers and other significant agents in the sport system. Our analysis demonstrates that recent antidoping policy development, despite claims to the contrary, is not truly athlete-centered and that a reevaluation of the policy development process is necessary for the ideal of athlete-centeredness to be realised.

Keywords: Canada; sports policy; antidoping policy; athlete-centered systems; sports systems; politics; decision making; drugs; athlete involvement.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2007.013713

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2007 Vol.2 No.4, pp.396 - 411

Published online: 22 May 2007 *

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