Stakeholder Prioritization for Good Governance in Iranian Elite Sport: A Mixed-Methods Study

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original

Authors

1 Department of Sport Management, University of Eyvanekey, Eyvanekey, Semnan, Iran.

2 Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Physical Education Instruction, Farhangian University, Shahid Chamran Campus, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The Current study aims to identify and prioritize stakeholders influencing elite sport governance in Iran using an exploratory mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, 19 experts were interviewed through purposive sampling, and thematic analysis identified three stakeholder levels: institutional, organizational, and social actors. These findings informed the quantitative phase, in which 25 experts evaluated stakeholder importance using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Pairwise comparisons were analyzed using Expert Choice, with consistency ratios below 0.1. In the quantitative phase, results indicate that universities and research centers (0.347) hold the highest influence in elite sport governance, followed by the sport industry (0.315), the private sector (0.225), and civil society and fans (0.113). The dominance of institutional stakeholders suggests a centralized and knowledge-driven governance structure with limited social participation. The findings highlight the need to enhance horizontal collaboration and strengthen participatory mechanisms to improve transparency and long-term sustainability in Iranian elite sport governance.

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Main Subjects

Archives in Sport Management and Leadership

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 25 September 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 08 January 2026
  • Revise Date: 29 August 2026
  • Accept Date: 25 September 2026

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