Board Composition in National Sport Federations: An Examination of BRICS Countries

Abstract

This study examined board composition in national sport federations (NSF) in the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). BRICS is a significant geopolitical group with a strong history and interest in sport, yet there has been relatively limited sport governance research in this context. Specifically, this study measured levels of board diversity (occupational and gender) and board size in the NSFs – factors that are widely considered to impact board effectiveness. Data were collected on 184 NSFs across the five countries from online sources. The results showed that across the BRICS countries NSF directors largely come from athletic backgrounds (45.1% of total), except for China where bureaucrats prevail (61.9%). Men dominate NSF board positions, from a high of 92.1% in India to 68.4% in South Africa. Board size ranged from 20.4 in India, to 14.2 in South Africa. This study brings sport governance research to new frontiers by generating insight into board composition in contexts that are under-researched and culturally diverse.

Keywords:

• Sport governance
• Diversity
• Culture
• Board size
• National governing bodies

Declaration of Interest Statement

No potential conflict of interest has to be reported.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

James McKeag

James McKeag is an academic in the Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. He is a strategy consultant to the sport industry, specialising in marketing and data. James’ research interests include governance, innovation and marketing strategy.

Joshua McLeod

Dr Joshua McLeod (PhD, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh) is an academic and professional specialising in sport management and governance. Joshua has held academic positions in London (England) and Melbourne (Australia), and has spent considerable time in India coordinating research projects. Joshua has published research in leading sport management journals (including European Sport Management Quarterly, Journal of Sport Management and Sport Management Review) and is a regular contributor the media through outlets such as the Conversation and LawInSport.

Shaun Star (PhD Candidate, University of Queensland, Australia) is a professor and associate dean at Jindal Global Law School. He is the Director of the Centre for Sports Law, Business and Governance and the Director, Centre for India-Australia Studies at O.P. Jindal Global University. Shaun is a Director of Judo Australia. His research interests include sports law and governance, esports, anti-doping and the Australia-India relationship. Shaun has published research in leading sports law and policy journals, including (the International Sports Law Journal, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics) and is a regular contributor for LawInSport.

Sergey Altukhov

Sergey Altukhov (Ph.D., The Institute for Macroeconomic Research, Moscow, Russia) is a professor in the Sport Management Master Program and director of the Institute of Sports Management and Law of the Higher School of Law and Administration of the HSE University (Moscow, Russia). His research interests include good governance in sport, geopolitical economy of sport, sport management, event-management in sport, management in ice hockey, sport & doping. His work has appeared in such journals as the Sport in Society, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, Sport & Entertainment Review, Management Science, among others.

Gang Yuan

Gang Yuan (Ph.D. in law, Renmin University of China, P.R.C.) is a professor at the Sports Law Institute of China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) in Beijing. His research focuses on sports law, human rights law, law education and judicial system. His papers have been published on journals including China Sport Science, Tribune of Political Science and Law, Journal of Shanghai University of Sport, Journal of Beijing Sport University, China Higher Education Research, Human Rights.

David Shilbury

David Shilbury (PhD, Monash University, Melbourne Australia) is the Foundation Chair of Sport Management in the Deakin Business School at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. He is also the Director of the Deakin Sport Network and a former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sport Management and Sport Management Review. Research interest include sport governance, strategy and sport delivery systems.