Papers by Athanasios S Pappous
Sport Management Review , 2019
The authors present a new conceptualization of mega sports event legacy delivery, which accounts ... more The authors present a new conceptualization of mega sports event legacy delivery, which accounts for the problematic nature of legacy by viewing it as a wicked problem. Research on mega sports event legacy has focused on establishing typologies of legacy, investigating outcomes, and consequences, with limited attention to legacy delivery. The conceptuali-zation of legacy delivery has largely relied on a positive, utopian legacy rhetoric. In contrast, the authors advance the understanding of legacy by proposing a conceptual approach of the legacy delivery process, to enable empirical studies in different contexts to be conducted. Specifically, the authors examine the wicked problem of mega sports event legacy delivery from a Critical Realist perspective, which serves to give meaning and order to this complex process. This conceptualization reveals that legacy delivery is inclusive of deep social structures which underpin different stakeholders' interpretations and interactions, which produce or limit legacy delivery. The role of social, generative structures as causal mechanisms has not been considered as a way to understand legacy delivery previously. Implications for teaching, research, and practice are discussed to demonstrate the value of this new approach. Importantly, this conceptualization focuses on processes rather than outcomes and encourages the identification of unexpected or unanticipated components of legacy delivery beyond the formal policies and plans designed to create or leverage legacy.
Frontiers in psychology, 2018
Literature indicates that injured athletes face both physical and psychological distress after th... more Literature indicates that injured athletes face both physical and psychological distress after they have been injured. In this study, a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was utilised as an intervention for use during the period of recovery with injured athletes and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using MBSR as an intervention for this purpose. The aim of this research was to investigate the role of MBSR practise in reducing the perception of pain and decreasing anxiety/stress, as well as increasing pain tolerance and mindfulness. An additional aim was to increase positive mood and decrease negative mood in injured athletes. The participants comprised of twenty athletes (male = 14; female = 6; age range = 21-36 years) who had severe injuries, preventing their participation in sport for more than 3 months. Prior to their injury, the participants had trained regularly with their University teams and participated in official university championships. Both ...
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
Resumen: La cuestión de la calidad de vida de las Personas Vivas con el VIH (PVVIH) es un objetiv... more Resumen: La cuestión de la calidad de vida de las Personas Vivas con el VIH (PVVIH) es un objetivo que se toma con cada vez más seriedad, y se puede observar una proliferación de trabajos en el ambito de ciencias de la vida que toman fundamento en la hipótesis de los efectos positivos de la actividad física y deportiva. La mayor parte de los estudios que se resumen en la presente revision de literatura han sido llevados a cabo desde el punto de vista de la fisiología del ejercicio y buscan identificar los tipos de prácticas seguras que proporcionen los mayores beneficios en términos de salud y de calidad de vida. No obstante hasta la fecha ningún estudio específico ha tratado ésta tematica desde el punto de vista sociologico. Los autores de ésta revision de literatura hacen una llamada para futuros estudios que enfoquen en el modo en el que el acceso a la práctica física y deportiva se ve afectada por la sepositividad. Se subraya la importancia que los paradigmas de la sociología de la salud y la sociología del ocio de la actividad física puedan tener para el estudio de la práctica deportiva de las personas seropositivas. Palabra clave: Personas seropositivas, actividad fisica, exclusion, sociología de la salud.
Journal of Palliative Care, 2009
Retos, Mar 9, 2015
Resumen: La cuestión de la calidad de vida de las Personas Vivas con el VIH (PVVIH) es un objetiv... more Resumen: La cuestión de la calidad de vida de las Personas Vivas con el VIH (PVVIH) es un objetivo que se toma con cada vez más seriedad, y se puede observar una proliferación de trabajos en el ambito de ciencias de la vida que toman fundamento en la hipótesis de los efectos positivos de la actividad física y deportiva. La mayor parte de los estudios que se resumen en la presente revision de literatura han sido llevados a cabo desde el punto de vista de la fisiología del ejercicio y buscan identificar los tipos de prácticas seguras que proporcionen los mayores beneficios en términos de salud y de calidad de vida. No obstante hasta la fecha ningún estudio específico ha tratado ésta tematica desde el punto de vista sociologico. Los autores de ésta revision de literatura hacen una llamada para futuros estudios que enfoquen en el modo en el que el acceso a la práctica física y deportiva se ve afectada por la sepositividad. Se subraya la importancia que los paradigmas de la sociología de la salud y la sociología del ocio de la actividad física puedan tener para el estudio de la práctica deportiva de las personas seropositivas. Palabra clave: Personas seropositivas, actividad fisica, exclusion, sociología de la salud.
Communication & Sport, Sep 29, 2018
In recent years, there has been an increased emergence of studies focusing on the media coverage ... more In recent years, there has been an increased emergence of studies focusing on the media coverage of the Paralympic Games. Until recently, studies have predominately used quantitative content analyses that, although providing useful interrogation of observational patterns, limits the understanding of and appreciation for the contexts that may have shaped the production of information. By focusing exclusively on the ‘what’ and on the ‘how much’ it is difficult to reveal the ‘why’ and to identify the underlying motives of any changes. This paper recognizes the nuances of the editorial decision-making process by using a mixed methods approach; employing quantitative and qualitative data drawn from a case study focusing on the Spanish media coverage of the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games. An initial content analysis of all news published in Spain’s twelve highest-circulation newspapers during Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympic Games was undertaken. Subsequently, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with journalists that were also sent to these two iterations of the Paralympic Games by Spanish media. Drawing on conceptualisations of media framing, the results highlight that the numerical data alone shed insufficient light on the complexity of the news-making process. The semi-structured interviews brought to light issues such as editorial management buoyed by commercial imperatives, and organisational interjection in journalists’ narratives and authorship, that also contoured coverage and content. In addition to further debate about the complexities of media coverage of Paralympic sport, the study also underscores the utility of incorporating and combining qualitative methodologies within sport media and communication research.
Sustainability, 2016
The hosting of the London 2012 Olympic Games was seen as an opportunity to harness the enthusiasm... more The hosting of the London 2012 Olympic Games was seen as an opportunity to harness the enthusiasm of the 70,000 volunteers involved and to provide a post-event volunteer legacy. A total of 77 individuals who had acted as volunteers in London 2012 were contacted approximately four years after the Games and agreed to complete a web-based open-ended survey. The participants were asked to indicate their level of current volunteering engagement and whether volunteering at the Games had an impact on their current volunteering levels. The study found that the London Olympics were the first volunteer experience for most of the volunteers who completed the survey, with the main motivation to volunteer being anything related to the Olympic Games. Just over half of the respondents are currently volunteering. Lack of time is shown to be the main barrier towards further volunteering commitment. Only half of respondents had been contacted by a volunteering scheme after London 2012. The implications of the findings for a potential volunteering legacy are then explored.
Voluntary Sector Review, 2016
International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 2016
The purpose of this study was to understand how a sports mega event (SME) was leveraged to try an... more The purpose of this study was to understand how a sports mega event (SME) was leveraged to try and increase participation, through the investigation of national governing bodies (NGBs) opinions and attitudes. Critical realism (CR) was used as a tool to aid understanding of 10 leveraging and legacy conceptualisation, through an empirical investigation. An extensive, mixed method online survey was conducted post London 2012 with senior staff members of NGBs, the main delivery agent chosen to support the participation initiatives associated with the London 2012 Olympics. This research provides valuable findings 15 surrounding the use of CR as a tool to investigate legacy creation, whilst at the same time offering insights to enhance the policy implementation process within the sports development sector. The importance of communication, competitive nature of sports system, media, club engagement, organisational capacity and monitoring and evaluation were 20 highlighted, which provided useful insights into the multi dimensional constructs that can aid future leveraging strategies prior to hosting SMEs.
European Journal for Sport and Society, 2010
Abstract: Data concerning mediatization of the female athletes are showing that on the one hand, ... more Abstract: Data concerning mediatization of the female athletes are showing that on the one hand, women are less represented than men and, on the other hand, their image is frequently sexualized. In addition, contrary to men, media often focuses on their social ...
Los medios de comunicación ejercen una influencia considerable sobre la imagen de las personas co... more Los medios de comunicación ejercen una influencia considerable sobre la imagen de las personas con discapacidad. Mediante este estudio queríamos realizar una exploración preliminar de la cobertura fotográfica de la prensa europea durante los Juegos Paralímpicos del 2000 y 2004. Los diarios aquí estudiados ofrecen unas imágenes incluyentes, que participan en un proceso de desestigmatización de las personas con discapacidad. No obstante una parte de la presente tipología preliminar incluye también imágenes que no alteran la imagen estereotipada acerca de la/s discapacidad/es.
Alter European Journal of Disability Research Revue Europeenne De Recherche Sur Le Handicap, 2010
This paper presents three analyses, separately constructed by three researchers, of the same spor... more This paper presents three analyses, separately constructed by three researchers, of the same sport press photography, made by Bob Martin (sport photojournalist) during the Athens Paralympic Games in 2004. The first one, which has a sociological approach, ...
Journal of Sports Science, 2015
The study aimed to examine the validity, reliability, and factorial invariance across gender of t... more The study aimed to examine the validity, reliability, and factorial invariance across gender of the PAPBS (Physical Activity Perceived Barriers Scale) in Greek children. 613 students (322 boys and 291 girls) from a city of Greece completed the above scale in 3 periods during a school year. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied. Strong evidence was found for the hypothesized second-order factor structure of the physical activity perceived barriers scale in the 3 measurements (comparative fit index = 0.951, 0.933, 0.922, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.061, 0.069, 0.074). The scale's internal consistency was supported satisfactorily, whereas correlations coefficients between scale and several physical activity scores were significant moderate to high. Finally, results provided support of the invariance of the first-and second-order factor loadings and invariance structural residuals, but weak support of the invariance of the residual variance of observed variables of the examined scale across gender. The findings suggest that physical activity perceived barriers scale is appropriate for use with Greek children and it is considered as a useful tool for researches interested in studying the children's participation in physical activity.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2015
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the introduction of the Free Swimming Progr... more The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the introduction of the Free Swimming Programme (FSP) in a local community (not identified to preserve anonymity) in the South East of England. The question has been approached in a variety of ways: by using primary quantitative data from leisure centres and logistic regressions based on the Active People Survey (APS). Problems are identified related to the introduction of the FSP in this community and suggestions are made for future policy. A brief examination of swimming participation in England enables researchers to place this community into a national context. The problems and policies of sport organisation developed in this community are not dissimilar to a more general application reflecting the English experience; in this sense it is anticipated that the findings will enable managers of sport organisations, along with public health policy makers, to focus more effectively on raising sport participation. The unique selling points of this article are the examination of FSP for adult participants, the local analysis of junior and senior participation, and the overall assessment of the policy based on APS.
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Papers by Athanasios S Pappous