Document Type : Original
Authors
1
PhD Candidate in Sport Management, Islamshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University
2
Faculty member, Department of Management and Media, Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University
3
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Islamshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University
4
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Islamshahr Branch, Islamic Azad Universit
5
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Islamshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University
Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop a talent identification management model for Paralympic sports. This applied study adopted an exploratory qualitative approach using thematic analysis. Participants included 21 experts, managers, coaches, elite athletes, faculty members, and specialists in Paralympic sports who were selected through purposive and snowball sampling based on their expertise and involvement in talent identification and development. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis framework. The analysis resulted in 136 basic themes, 27 organizing themes, and 5 global themes. The findings identified the following global themes: (1) the nature and dimensions of Paralympic talent identification management, including multidimensional talent indicators, classification requirements, talent pathways, and systems for development and retention; (2) influencing factors, including governance, stakeholder coordination, specialized human resources, infrastructure, data systems, and family and social support; (3) challenges and barriers, such as unequal access, infrastructural limitations, shortages of specialized personnel, weak grassroots programs, unclear development pathways, and cultural barriers; (4) strategies for improvement, including standardization of talent identification processes, development of a national talent identification network, human resource training, multidimensional athlete support, data-driven monitoring systems, and long-term development pathways; and (5) outcomes, including individual, elite sport, managerial, organizational, social, and cultural outcomes. Overall, the findings demonstrated that talent identification management in Paralympic sports is a multidimensional, context-dependent, and continuous process requiring integrated systems of identification, classification, development, support, monitoring, and talent retention.
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