Sports Law, Policy & Diplomacy Journal https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj <p><em>Sports Law, Policy &amp; Diplomacy Journal</em> (SLPD Journal) is aimed at researchers and practitioners and is dedicated to publishing articles that contribute to theoretical, methodological, and empirical knowledge in the complex field of law, public policy, and diplomacy in the sports system, as well as in other areas of social science focused on sports. Articles may be based on both quantitative and qualitative analyses; they may synthesise previous research; and they may discuss open questions in specific areas of the social sciences. The journal welcomes contributions that focus on different levels of analysis (from individual cases to small or large samples) and contexts (international, supranational, regional, and national levels; in the fields of law, political science, and diplomacy in sport). Each issue may also include an extensive section of book and projects reviews or events (conferences, seminars, summer/winter schools, etc.).<br /><br />The Journal collaborates with <strong>the Association for the Study of Sport and the European Union "Sport&amp;EU" </strong>and one number of the journal is dedicated to papers presented at the Sport&amp;EU annual conferences. <br /><br />The SLPD journal operates on the Diamond Open Access model, which means that there are no fees for authors,no fees to access the published papers, and authors retain copyright.<br /><br />The journal is published twice a year (1st number: until August and 2nd number: until December).</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Indexed in:</strong></p> <p>- <a href="https://www.bisp-surf.de/">SURF</a> (<em>German Federal Institute of Sport Science - Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft</em>) database</p> <p>- <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://idrottsforum.org/">Idrottsforum.org</a> (Malmö University, Sweden)</p> <p>- <a href="https://hrcak.srce.hr/slpd">HRČAK</a> (Portal of Croatian Scientific and professional journals)</p> <p>- <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/Welcome">HeinOnline.org</a> </p> en-US vanja.smokvina@pravri.uniri.hr (Assoc. Prof. Vanja Smokvina) vanja.smokvina@pravri.uniri.hr (Assoc. Prof. Vanja Smokvina) Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100 OJS 3.2.1.4 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/34516 Vanja Smokvina; Richard Parrish, Borja Garcia Garcia Copyright (c) 2024 Vanja Smokvina; Richard Parrish, Borja Garcia Garcia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/34516 Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100 AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE FRENCH FOOTBALL FEDERATION’S WOMEN’S FOOTBALL DIPLOMACY PROJECT WITH IRAQ: INSPIRING EVERY GIRL IN IRAQ TO PLAY FOOTBALL https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/33911 <p>This article examines the French Football Federation’s women’s football diplomacy initiative with Iraq as an example of a type of integrative sports diplomacy that empowers the sports world, and those they serve, in new ways. The effort, driven by a non-state sporting actor with support from the French state via its Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs’ sports diplomacy approach, demonstrated sports diplomacy’s short-term “wins” like changing people’s minds, cultural engagement, and sharing technical expertise through sports, creating the possibility of new opportunities, and offering different incentives for the sports world to engage.</p> Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff, Daniel G. Kelly II Copyright (c) 2024 Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff, Daniel G. Kelly II https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/33911 Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100 SPORT POLICY IN ROMANIA https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/33897 <p>The article provides an overview of the development of the sport ecosystem and sport-related policies in Romania. It represents the first venture to understand dynamics associated with historical evolution, and despite Romania’s EU membership, it struggles to implement numerous needed reforms resulting in stagnation rooted in institutional memory. Following the presentation of historical development, the paper is structured to describe major institutional actors, including those from the public sector and sport movement, as well as their interrelationship including the major trends discussed. The added value of this paper represents a collaborative partnership incorporating both insider and outsider perspectives to offer a comprehensive understanding and presentation of the development of sport policy in Romania. In conclusion, Romanian sports remain strongly shaped by the strong institutional memory developed during the communist era. </p> Andrei Antonie, Marko Begovic, Simona Petracovschi Copyright (c) 2024 Andrei Antonie, Marko Begovic, Simona Petracovschi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/33897 Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100 PLACING ATHLETE RIGHTS AT THE HEART OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN SPORT: LEVERAGING IDEATIONAL POWER, DEMOCRATISING GOVERNANCE https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/33784 <p class="Abstract" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 1.0cm .0001pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“Good governance” and “athlete rights” are two central ideas in today’s governance of sport. A multitude of actors from different horizontal and vertical governance levels shape the discourse surrounding these ideas. Following Vivien Schmidt’s seminal work on discursive institutionalism, we analyse the ideational power of the two ideas and the characteristics of their underlying discourses within the context of international sport governance. Our analysis highlights that several similarities between the ideas and their related discourses prevail. Yet, the two discourses exist, for most parts, separately with no systematic conceptual connection between the two ideas. Informed by an analysis of academic literature and policy documents within and beyond the area of sport governance, we argue that this is a conceptual shortcoming, which fails to capitalise on the power resting in each idea and, more importantly, in their combination. We suggest that a systematic merger of the two discourses in terms of the adoption of a rights-based approach to good governance may not only democratise the good governance discourse and better justify its widespread normative notion, but that it may also enhance the ideational power of athlete rights and, in practice, become a key to rights implementation for the benefit of athletes. </span></p> Maximilian Seltmann, Lorenz Fiege Copyright (c) 2024 Maximilian Seltmann, Lorenz Fiege https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/33784 Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100 THE MACCABIAH AS A NEW SPORTS DIPLOMACY INSTRUMENT https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/34283 <p>This article examines the Maccabiah Games as a unique case study of new sports diplomacy, analyzing how this non-state sporting event functions as a significant soft power resource for Israel, while operating largely independently of state control and financing. Through analysis of historical documents, legislative frameworks, and policy decisions, we investigate the complex relationship between the Israeli state and the Maccabiah Games, which has evolved since its inception in 1932. We argue that while the Games serve as Israel’s primary sporting diplomatic vehicle and enhance its international image, they operate primarily through private and civic networks rather than state direction or consistent financial support. This creates an interesting paradox: the Games’ independence from state control allows the sports community to maintain autonomy in pursuing its goals, yet this same independence results in minimal state investment, shifting the financial burden onto participants and the Jewish sports community. Despite the Games’ significance in promoting Jewish immigration and strengthening ties with the diaspora, Israel lacks a coherent legal framework or consistent funding mechanism for this quadrennial Olympic competition. While state officials regularly participate in ceremonial aspects and leverage the Games for public diplomacy, concrete institutional support remains limited. This situation reflects both Israel’s broader underinvestment in sports infrastructure and its tendency to prioritize hard power over soft power resources. The findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of new sports diplomacy by demonstrating how non-state actors can successfully operate major international sporting events that serve national diplomatic purposes, even without substantial state support. The Maccabiah case illustrates the evolving nature of sports diplomacy, where traditional state-centered approaches are increasingly complemented or replaced by more independent, community-driven initiatives that nonetheless advance national soft power objectives.</p> Sophia Solomon, Sharon Pardo, Hila Zahavi Copyright (c) 2024 Sophia Solomon, Sharon Pardo, Hila Zahavi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/34283 Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100 DISTRIBUTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE AUTONOMY OF SPORTS IN THE EGYPTIAN LEGAL SYSTEM https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/31819 <p>This paper presents a descriptive and analytical examination of the elements of sports independence in the Egyptian legal system. It includes the texts of legal articles that address the elements of sports independence, such as the competence of general assemblies of sports bodies to set their regulations, texts ensuring non-interference of government agencies in the affairs of sports bodies (except for what relates to governance, financial corruption, and crimes), and texts resorting to sports arbitration rather than the state judiciary. Furthermore, the paper also focuses on articles of the unified financial regulations that were issued to implement the elements of sports bodies’ governance in the absence of these elements in sports law. The analysis includes rulings of various judicial bodies in the Egyptian system by presenting landmark decisions in selected cases. The analysis of rulings issued by the Egyptian State Council (Administrative Judiciary), the Court of Appeal, and the Court of Cassation, as well as the rulings of the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court is introduced. It comprises a ruling on the unconstitutionality of part of Article 69 of the Sports Law related to the Egyptian Olympic Committee setting the regulatory frameworks for the Egyptian Sports Settlement and Arbitration Center, leading to the fall of the center’s regulatory frameworks. Additionally, the ruling of the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court on a jurisdictional conflict is discussed including the previous ruling on the unconstitutionality of the text (Article 69) deeming the Sports Arbitration Center non-existent and calling for a legislative amendment to resolve the matter.</p> Ahmed Saad Mohamed Hussein Copyright (c) 2024 Ahmed Saad Mohamed Hussein https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/slpdj/article/view/31819 Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100