What’s at play? Power, transnational coaches and the global hegemony of performance within Danish elite swimming

Abstract This paper examines the discourses in power in Danish elite swimming from 2003 to 2013. Gramsci’s perspective was used to deconstruct the hegemonic cultural leadership enacted by coaches and administrators in the Danish Swimming Federation and Team Danmark. Transnational coaches were also engaged in the hegemonic practices towards elite swimmers in Denmark in the quest for Olympic medals. With the exception of a few abortive rebellions, the athletes complied with the hegemonic practices because their coaches and the Danish Swimming Federation were the gatekeepers of their success. These findings are discussed in the context of the evolvement of a neo-liberal funding structure for elite sport in the Western world. The transnational coaches appear to be representing an ideological superstructure in which sporting performance became the sole measure of success (and allocation of funds) in Danish elite sport policy. This study suggests that there is a need of ensuring that athletes’ voices are being heard through an independent regulatory council.

[1]  A. Knoppers,et al.  Transnational coaches , 2020, 'Race', Ethnicity and Racism in Sports Coaching.

[2]  K. Aggerholm,et al.  Defiance in sport , 2020 .

[3]  Sara A. Sutherland,et al.  An evaluation of good governance in US Olympic sport National Governing Bodies , 2020, European Sport Management Quarterly.

[4]  A. Knoppers,et al.  Gendered discourses in coaching high-performance sport , 2019, International Review for the Sociology of Sport.

[5]  L. Norman,et al.  Mind the gap: the presence of capital and power in the female athlete–male -coach relationship within elite rowing , 2019, Sports Coaching Review.

[6]  R. Venter,et al.  Country profile: sport in South Africa , 2018, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics.

[7]  N. Barker-Ruchti,et al.  Caring as sustainable coaching in elite athletics: benefits and challenges , 2018, Sports Coaching Review.

[8]  R. Kerr,et al.  The migration of gymnastics coaches from the Former Soviet Union to New Zealand: an actor–network theory perspective , 2018, Leisure Studies.

[9]  J. Denison,et al.  How power moves: A Foucauldian analysis of (in)effective coaching , 2018 .

[10]  P. Wicker,et al.  Labor migration among elite sport coaches: An exploratory study , 2018 .

[11]  Chen Chen,et al.  A Postcolonial Reading of Representations of Non-Western Leadership in Sport Management Studies , 2018 .

[12]  P. Wicker,et al.  Coach migration in German high performance sport , 2018 .

[13]  A. Knoppers,et al.  ‘Everything revolves around gymnastics’: athletes and parents make sense of elite youth sport , 2017, Young People and Sport.

[14]  N. Barker-Ruchti,et al.  Balancing performance-based expectations with a holistic perspective on coaching: a qualitative study of Swedish women’s national football team coaches’ practice experiences , 2017, International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being.

[15]  D. Piggott,et al.  Why ‘the best way of learning to coach the game is playing the game’: conceptualising ‘fast-tracked’ high-performance coaching pathways , 2017 .

[16]  A. Knoppers,et al.  'You don’t realize what you see!': the institutional context of emotional abuse in elite youth sport , 2017 .

[17]  A. Willem,et al.  Sport policy systems and sport federations : a cross-national perspective , 2017 .

[18]  A. Willem,et al.  Does It Take Two to Tango? The Position and Power of National Sport bodies Compared to Their Public Authorities , 2017 .

[19]  R. Kerr,et al.  An Ironic Imbalance: Coaching Opportunities and Gender in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics in Australia and New Zealand , 2016 .

[20]  J. Chappelet,et al.  From Olympic administration to Olympic governance , 2016 .

[21]  P. Wicker,et al.  Determinants of labour migration of elite sport coaches , 2016, European journal of sport science.

[22]  A. Rosado,et al.  Coaches’ migration: a qualitative analysis of recruitment, motivations and experiences , 2015 .

[23]  K. Moore,et al.  Hard work or child's play? Migrant coaches’ reflections on coaching gymnastics in New Zealand , 2015 .

[24]  Leslee A. Fisher,et al.  NCAA Division I Female Head Coaches’ Experiences of Exemplary Care Within Coaching , 2015 .

[25]  Neil Partington.  Legal liability of coaches: a UK perspective , 2014, The International Sports Law Journal.

[26]  M. Groll,et al.  Good governance in international sport organizations: an analysis of the 35 Olympic sport governing bodies , 2014 .

[27]  Eivind Å. Skille,et al.  The contemporary context of elite youth sport , 2014 .

[28]  D. Malcolm,et al.  Gymnastics and child abuse: an analysis of former international Portuguese female artistic gymnasts , 2014 .

[29]  Robyn L. Jones,et al.  A Bourdieusian analysis of cultural reproduction: socialisation and the ‘hidden curriculum’ in professional football , 2014 .

[30]  J. Cummings.  The adaptation challenges and strategies of immigrant high performance coaches working within the canadian sport system , 2014 .

[31]  C. Annerstedt,et al.  Caring as an important foundation in coaching for social sustainability: a case study of a successful Swedish coach inhigh-performance sport , 2014 .

[32]  Trent Brown,et al.  Qualitative research for physical culture , 2013, QMiP Bulletin.

[33]  Michael P. Sam.  Targeted investments in elite sport funding: wiser, more innovative and strategic? , 2012 .

[34]  B. Ibsen,et al.  Elite Sport Development in Denmark , 2010 .

[35]  K. Roessler,et al.  Successful talent development in track and field: considering the role of environment , 2010, Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports.

[36]  E. Anderson,et al.  Establishing and Challenging Masculinity: The Influence of Gendered Discourses in Organized Sport , 2010 .

[37]  K. Roessler,et al.  Holistic approach to Athletic Talent Development Environments: A successful sailing milieu , 2010 .

[38]  B. Peters.  The Politics of Bureaucracy: An Introduction to Comparative Public Administration , 2009 .

[39]  K. Sotiriadou.  The Australian sport system and its stakeholders: development of cooperative relationships , 2009 .

[40]  Leigh Robinson,et al.  Benchmarking of elite sport systems , 2009 .

[41]  Kathy Babiak,et al.  Challenges in Multiple Cross-Sector Partnerships , 2009 .

[42]  Kathy Babiak,et al.  Criteria of effectiveness in multiple cross-sectoral interorganizational relationships. , 2009, Evaluation and program planning.

[43]  Tara-Leigh F. McHugh,et al.  Exploring Women Track and Field Athletes' Meanings of Muscularity , 2009 .

[44]  Ashley Stirling,et al.  Defining and categorizing emotional abuse in sport , 2008 .

[45]  S. Quick,et al.  The attraction, retention/transition, and nurturing process of sport development: Some Australian evidence , 2008 .

[46]  S. Shibli,et al.  The Global Sporting Arms Race: An International Comparative Study on Sports Policy Factors Leading to International Sporting Success , 2008 .

[47]  B. Long,et al.  Critical Comments About Body Shape and Weight: Disordered Eating of Female Athletes and Sport Participants , 2008 .

[48]  Mona Nilsen,et al.  Institutionen för pedagogik och didaktik , 2008 .

[49]  G. Kerr,et al.  Disordered Eating in Women's Gymnastics: Perspectives of Athletes, Coaches, Parents, and Judges , 2006 .

[50]  Donald P. Moynihan,et al.  What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Performance? Dialogue Theory and Performance Budgeting , 2005 .

[51]  Mick Green,et al.  Elite Sport Development: Policy Learning and Political Priorities , 2005 .

[52]  A. Bairner,et al.  Where the Grass is Greener: Irish rugby union, migrant coaches and the globalisation debate , 2005 .

[53]  Mick Green.  Power, Policy, and Political Priorities: Elite Sport Development in Canada and the United Kingdom , 2004 .

[54]  Tania Cassidy,et al.  Understanding Sports Coaching: The Social, Cultural and Pedagogical Foundations of Coaching Practice , 2004 .

[55]  V. Girginov,et al.  From Participants to Competitors: The Transformation of British Gymnastics and the Role of the Eastern European Model of Sport , 2004 .

[56]  Mick Green,et al.  Elite sport development systems and playing to win: uniformity and diversity in international approaches , 2001 .

[57]  D. Shilbury.  Considering future sport delivery systems. , 2000 .

[58]  D. Martz,et al.  Impact of Coaching Style on Vulnerability for Eating Disorders: An Analog Study , 1999 .

[59]  Robert Sherman,et al.  Athletes, Athletic Performance, and Eating Disorders: Healthier Alternatives , 1999 .

[60]  J. Storey,et al.  Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction , 1996 .

[61]  G. Sage,et al.  Power and ideology in American sport: A critical perspective , 1990 .