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R184 Contemporary issues in Sport

infoWhy this? This unit helps students understand the wider world of sport, including participation, media influence, technology, and current issues affecting sport. It develops knowledge, evaluation, and decision-making skills.

scheduleWhy now? This unit is taught throughout the course because it provides the core knowledge needed for success in Sport Studies. Students can make links between theory, practical experiences, and current sporting events.

neurologyYou need to know

  • The main user groups in sport are women, different ethnic groups, retired people or people over 60, families with young children, carers, people with family commitments, young children, teenagers, people with disabilities, parents, unemployed or economically disadvantaged people, and working professionals.
  • Barriers to participation include lack of disposable income, limited time, work or family commitments, childcare needs, transport difficulties, inaccessible facilities, low self-esteem, poor body image, fatigue, discrimination, stereotyping and a lack of suitable provision or role models.
  • Barriers can be reduced through subsidised prices, improved transport, accessible or specialist facilities, childcare provision, flexible session times, adapted activities, targeted promotion, inclusive initiatives and representative role models.
  • The popularity of a sport can be affected positively or negatively by participation levels, available facilities and provision, the environment and climate, spectator interest, media coverage, elite success, role models and social acceptability.
  • Emerging sports can grow when people receive opportunities to participate at grassroots level and when the sport gains facilities, National Governing Body support, media coverage, sponsorship, spectators and inclusion in major events.
  • Sport can promote team spirit, fair play, citizenship, tolerance, respect, inclusion, national pride and excellence by bringing people together under shared rules and goals.
  • The Olympic values are excellence, friendship and respect, while the Paralympic values are courage, determination, inspiration and equality.
  • Campaigns such as This Girl Can target barriers faced by women, Kick It Out challenges discrimination in football, and Rainbow Laces promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.
  • Etiquette is the accepted code of behaviour within a sport, sportsmanship means playing fairly and respecting others, and gamesmanship means using questionable but usually legal tactics to gain an advantage.
  • Performance-enhancing drugs are prohibited substances or methods used to improve performance, and examples include stimulants, anabolic steroids, narcotic analgesics, peptide hormones, beta blockers and diuretics.
  • Doping can create an unfair advantage, damage health and the reputation of sport, lead to bans or lost results, and reduce trust in performers; the World Anti-Doping Agency coordinates global anti-doping rules, testing and education.
  • Major sporting events may be regular events held frequently in the same place, recurring events held at set intervals but often in different locations, or one-off events staged in a location on a single occasion.
  • Before a major sporting event, hosting can create jobs, investment and improved infrastructure, but bidding and construction can be expensive, disruptive and harmful to the environment.
  • During a major sporting event, tourism, ticket sales, merchandise, employment and national pride may increase, but congestion, pollution, security threats, overcrowding and price rises may also occur.
  • After a major sporting event, improved facilities, transport, tourism and participation can form a positive legacy, while debt, unused venues, maintenance costs and displaced communities can form a negative legacy.
  • The impact of hosting a major sporting event may be social, economic, sporting or environmental, and the same development can benefit one group while disadvantaging another.
  • National Governing Bodies develop sport from grassroots to elite level by increasing participation, organising coaching and talent-development pathways, supporting clubs and teams, and selecting national squads.
  • National Governing Bodies also organise competitions, create and enforce rules, train officials and coaches, provide insurance guidance, establish safety and safeguarding procedures, and run promotional initiatives.
  • Technology supports performers and coaches through performance analysis, fitness monitoring, improved equipment, injury diagnosis and rehabilitation, although it may be expensive, inaccessible or create overreliance on data.
  • Technology can improve officiating accuracy and spectator experience through video review, timing systems, scoreboards, broadcasts and digital information, but it can interrupt play, delay decisions, malfunction and reduce officials’ authority.

rocket_launchYou must be able to

  • Classify individuals into appropriate sporting user groups using information about their age, gender, ethnicity, disability, employment and personal commitments.
  • Analyse the barriers affecting a user group and recommend realistic solutions that directly address each identified barrier.
  • Explain how provision, climate, media coverage, role models, elite success and social acceptability can increase or decrease the popularity of a sport.
  • Apply sporting values and the concepts of etiquette, sportsmanship and gamesmanship to examples of performer behaviour.
  • Evaluate a sporting initiative or campaign by identifying its target group, promoted values and likely effect on participation or discrimination.
  • Assess the use of performance-enhancing drugs by considering fairness, health, reputation, sanctions and the responsibilities of anti-doping organisations.
  • Classify a major sporting event as regular, recurring or one-off and analyse its social, economic, sporting and environmental effects before, during and after the event.
  • Explain how a National Governing Body develops its sport through participation initiatives, competitions, rules, coaching, officiating, safety procedures and elite pathways.
  • Evaluate sporting technology by balancing its effects on performers, coaches, officials and spectators before reaching a supported conclusion.
  • Construct extended exam responses that make developed points, use relevant sporting examples, consider contrasting effects and reach a justified conclusion.


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