Laura Hills

A sustainable sports legacy: creating a link between the London Olympics and sports participation.

The London 2012 bid was based on the promise to use the Olympic Games to promote sports participation for all groups across the UK. This is the most ambitious project in the history of the Olympic Games in terms of both its scope and level of change, as, in order to be implemented successfully, it has to address not only peoples behaviour but also deeply rooted social structures and relations. This paper addresses the little explored issue of the link between hosting the Olympic Games and sports participation in the host country within the framework of sustainable sports legacy. It takes a process-oriented approach, suggesting that Olympic legacies are constructed and not given, and explores the role of the International Olympic Committee and the UK government in framing sports legacy. The paper draws from relevant literature and two original case studies, and analyses five main processes involved in legacy construction. It is argued that the role of sports participation legacy has been to compensate for the propensities of Olympic growth. The concept of sustainable Olympic sports development legacy is controversial but appealing. It offers grounds for agreement in Olympic aspirations for social progress and equality while still promoting games that are faster, higher, stronger and the best ever. Achieving sustainable sports participation will remain an illusive target until the rights of different communities and sports are recognized.

Friendship, physicality, and physical education: an exploration of the social and embodied dynamics of girls’ physical education experiences

Physical education represents a dynamic social space where students experience and interpret physicality in a context that accentuates peer relationships and privileges particular forms of embodiment. This article focuses on girls’ understandings of physicality with respect to the organisation of physical education and more informal social networks. Research exploring the connections between the body, capital, physical activity, and femininity and work on friendship and other social relationships underpin the study. The article draws on findings from ethnographic work involving 12- and 13-year-old girls in a multi-ethnic, mixed comprehensive school in the United Kingdom. The meaning of physicality was interwoven with differences in social status, membership in friendship groups, gender ideologies, and ethnicity. Girls’ interpretations of their experiences centred on their perceptions of the importance of displays of competence and the ways that practices in physical education reinforced and challenged their social networks. Girl-only physical education contexts did not emerge as unproblematic as practices were used to both include and exclude other girls, to reinforce social status and to marginalize others. Girls who were physically skilled and socially valued were able to exercise power and maintain their status through demonstrations of competence and strategies of inclusion and exclusion. Girls’ activity choices and evaluations of physical education related to their own feelings of competence, the potential for positive or negative social interactions, and their ability to acquire and utilize desirable forms of social and physical capital. Implications for teaching include the necessity of incorporating inclusive practices that acknowledge the diverse range of girls’ experiences, interests and needs, the need to reflect on the link between activities and social relationships, the possibility of incorporating space for critical reflection, and the influence of friendships and social networks.

The political process of constructing a sustainable London Olympics sports development legacy

This study attempts to develop a research agenda for understanding the process of constructing a sustainable Olympic sports development legacy. The research uses a social constructivist perspective to examine the link between the 2012 London Olympic Games and sustainable sports development. The first part of the paper provides justification for the study of sport policy processes using a constructivist lens. This is followed by a section which critically unpacks sustainable sports development drawing on Mosses (1998) ideas of process-oriented research and Searles conceptualisation of the construction of social reality. Searles (1995) concepts of the assignment of function, collective intentionality, collective rules, and human capacity to cope with the environment are considered in relation to the events and discourses emerging from the legacy vision(s) associated with the 2012 London Olympic Games. The paper concludes by proposing a framework for engaging in process-oriented research and highlights key elements, research questions, and methodological issues. The proposed constructivist approach can be used to inform policy, practice, and research on sustainable Olympic sports development legacy.

Double Trouble: Kelly Holmes, Intersectionality and Unstable Narratives of Olympic Heroism in the British Media

In the run-up to the Athens Olympic Games the British daily newspaper the Guardian produced a booklet entitled ‘Olympics 2004’ which provided a guide to the events and highlighted promising athletes from Britain and elsewhere. Kelly Holmes was not counted as one of the ‘Ten of the Best’ British stars of the Games. Neither was she mentioned in their identification of potential ‘Showstoppers’ or ‘Other Brits to watch’ for the day of the women’s 800 metres. Holmes was considered one of the ‘Brits to watch’ on the day of the women’s 1500 metres, but in a way that did not concede much hope of victory. She was described as one of two ‘stalwarts of British athletics’ competing that day, who would ‘be hoping for a bang rather than a farewell whimper this evening’ (p. 78). In fact, Holmes resoundingly exceeded all expectations. She won both the 800 metres and the 1500 metres, becoming the first British female track athlete to win two Olympic gold medals and the first British double gold medallist at the same Games since 1920.

The challenges of widening ‘legitimate’ understandings of ability within physical education

This article explores the importance of critical discourse in physical education (PE) that focuses on how understandings of ability are defined, practised, and potentially altered. Research continues to indicate that physical educators continue to draw on narrow notions of ability which are influenced by the presence of a pervasive performative culture. Traditional understandings of ability often fail to reflect the wider aims of PE such as developing young peoples physical literacy. The theoretical concepts of Bourdieu have been used to explain processes that serve to reinforce ‘legitimate’ notions of ability. The significance of the field of PE has been highlighted where habitus and capital inform understandings of ability in PE, and reinforce practices that privilege certain students. The data for this article are based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with six PE teachers who were part of a yearlong study on young peoples experiences of ability in secondary PE in England. Within interviews PE teachers defined ability in broad terms and differentiated between the purpose of PE and sport. In practice, teachers placed a distinct emphasis on defining ability in terms which privileged students who either had a reputation for sporting excellence or who demonstrated desired forms of sport-related physical capital in lessons. These discourses and practices were reinforced through individual habitus and through a sense of shared ‘mastery of the common code’ among the teachers. The findings have implications for understanding the tensions within the field of PE that have evolved from previous, and continuing, debates on the distinction between PE and sport and understandings of the purpose of PE. In addition, they highlight the challenges that teachers can experience in aligning their wider views of ability with their ‘legitimate’ ability-based practices and working towards supporting more equitable and inclusive PE experiences.

Unintended volunteers: the volunteering pathways of working class young people in community sport

ABSTRACT Sport has become a major setting for youth volunteering in the UK. Volunteering has become understood as a means of enhancing responsible citizenship and of adding various capitals to young people’s identities. Much research on young people’s volunteering in sport has typically (and sometimes by default) focused on middle class experiences, highlighting the combination of instrumental and altruistic motives for volunteering, the importance of family and school in decisions about volunteering and its perceived longer-term benefits. This article focuses on the experiences of young working class volunteers and is based on an evaluation of five community sport projects that were part of the StreetGames Building a Participation Legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Disadvantaged Areas initiative. Data from a combination of semi-structured interviews and focus groups were analysed to understand working class young people’s volunteering pathways, including their initial engagement, motives and understanding of challenges and benefits. The findings from this study indicate that, in contrast to many middle class young people, these young people’s routes into volunteering were not part of a strategic career plan, but occurred contingently and with support from coaches. Young people subsequently suggested that volunteering and its scope for gaining formal training helped them to develop skills associated with desirable forms of social and cultural capital that might lead to labour market attachment, particularly in sport. These findings have important implications for understanding how social class shapes pathways into youth volunteering in the UK and for developing appropriate policy to encourage a wider range of young people to volunteer.

Building a system to safeguard children in sport: The 8 CHILDREN pillars

In October 2014, the International Safeguards for Children in Sport were launched. These Safeguards were developed, implemented, and evaluated based on a pilot process which took place over the preceding 2 years. Throughout this piloting phase, a range of qualitative techniques were employed to capture the experiences of people within 32 of the organizations that were working toward the International Safeguards. The participant organizations varied based on their geographical focus (e.g., local, national, and international) as well as their mission (e.g., participation, competition, and sport for development). Based on a thematic analysis, eight key pillars were identified on which systems which safeguard children can be built. These are known as the CHILDREN pillars: Cultural sensitivity, Holistic, Incentives, Leadership, Dynamic, Resources, Engagement, and Networks. Illustrative examples are provided and the future directions of this project will be discussed.

Myths of nation in the Champions League

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) tournament has become a showcase for the most elite and well-resourced clubs in Europe. In this paper, we explore whether the European flavour of this competition and the multi-national composition of the teams involved influence the sport media’s well-documented nationalistic discursive traditions. The analytical frame draws on Barthes’ work on mythologies and Wenner’s conceptualization of communicative dirt to analyse discourses relating to nation found in the coverage of the 2011 UCL tournament. We identified the presence of nationalistic discourses in the form of symbolic Englishness, intertextual references to insider English knowledge, football history and conflicts, and ‘othering’ representations of England’s opponents. The re-imposition of war imagery, stereotypes and ideological Englishness in UCL media coverage was conceptualized as the importation of communicative dirt into a multi-national context. We argue that the presence of this pervasive nationalistic discourse tarnishes the contemporary sporting landscape and suggest that ethical reporting could entail creating more creative and inclusive journalism.

Research-based knowledge utilization in a community sport evaluation: a case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore key determinants of knowledge utilization in a community sport initiative, with particular attention to key facets of social-organizational approaches including: organizational context including perceived user needs, characteristics of the researcher-user relationship, and adaption of dissemination materials. Design/methodology/approach – The case study applies established theoretical and conceptual understandings of knowledge utilization to a research evaluation of a national initiative to increase young womens participation in sport. Findings – This case study illustrates that academics engaging in evaluation work with sports organizations are well-placed to develop relationships with organizations that will be conducive to the use of research. Qualities that facilitate the use of research include an organizational context that is positively disposed towards using research. This can entail developing a researcher-practitioner relationship that involves ...

Exercise has a role in the rehabilitation process.

Exercise is often a part of the rehabilitation process in some form, such as practicing a manual task or engaging in repetitive stretching. In the sporting sense exercise has a role to play in development, learning and rehabilitation. Taking part in sport and exercise has many additional health benefits, it can be motivating, provide social opportunities and enable a level of fitness or function to be maintained. This is true for individuals with and without disability. Sport and exercise can also be used to provide a context for rehabilitation which increases the success rate and adherence to the intervention. Equally sport has a role to play for all individuals as it enables people to engage in a range of activities that are challenging from informal grassroots participation to more organised involvement at the local, national and international levels. The experiences of success and excellence that can be attained through sports participation are important for all individuals, including those with disabilities. The specific aim of this special edition was to present papers that considered the interconnections between sport, exercise and rehabilitation from a range of perspectives. The papers that are presented represent different academic disciplines and employ a variety of research methodologies from laboratorybased experimental work, to interviews and observations. We feel that these six papers reflect the breadth of academic interest in sport, exercise and rehabilitation and the multidisciplinary nature of Disability and Rehabilitation. The first paper by Hills and Utley addresses the importance of sport science support for athletes with learning difficulties and presents a case study of an elite athlete to illustrate some of the issues that can arise. This is followed by a paper by Utley, Nasr and Astill which looks at using new technology in conventional physical education lessons and considers the benefits for children with movement disabilities. The third paper (Zwier et al.) focuses on the physical activity levels of 5and 7-year-old children with cerebral palsy and indicates that their level of activity is low compared to their non disabled peers. The authors consider the importance of promoting activity for children with cerebral palsy at an early age. This raises an important issue about expectations for people with disability. The next paper by Steenbergen et al. considers the benefits of implicit learning for individuals with movement difficulties when acquiring sports-related motor skills. Motor learning in sport is an important topic that has direct links to learning during rehabilitation. The fifth paper by Coates and Vickerman explores the perspectives of children with special educational needs on their physical education lessons. They propose consultation as a tool for empowering pupils as a means of providing them with choices whilst gaining an insight into their experiences of PE. Interestingly their findings are not dissimilar to those of Utley and Hills in paper one with respect to working with adults with learning difficulties. The final paper by van Kampen et al. investigates strategies used during the activity of catching. They consider the role of visual information and remind us that we must take into account the different strategies people may use and consider the implications this has for working with individuals with disabilities during sport and exercise training and practice. All of these papers indicate the importance of sport and exercise for individuals with disability. They highlight the benefits of sport and exercise not only as part of rehabilitation but also as an important part of our daily lives. People with disabilities are clearly keen to take part, to improve and to achieve in a range of sport and exercise contexts and they pursue their endeavours with the same intensity and integrity as their able-bodied peers.