This study aimed to investigate, analyze, and illuminate the perception and experiences of elite male handball players on toxic leadership in sports. The sport handball was chosen as a study object with a phenomenological approach. 9 individual interviews were conducted with 9 different elite male handball players who play in 9 different clubs in Handbollsligan, the top male division in Sweden. The chosen leadership theory was the toxic triangle theory, which entails that there need to be three different dimensions to toxic leadership: the destructive leader, the susceptible followers, and the conducive environment.  The results show that players have experienced toxic leadership. Three different aspects of toxic leadership were found and analyzed in this study. Firstly, destructive leaders exhibit abusive behavior, striving for personal power and manipulating other people within the organization. Secondly, players/followers who obey and conform to the leaders’ actions, experience negative emotions like anxiety, worry, and loss of self-esteem. Thirdly, the conducive environment that enables the leader’s destructive behavior has been discovered to be isolated, had a lack of communication, and was under the total rule of the destructive leader. In summary, this foretells the experiences of elite male handball players with toxic leadership.

Yes / Background: The importance of optimal and/or superior vision for participation in high-level sport remains the subject of considerable clinical research interest. Here we examine the vision and visual history of elite/near-elite cricketers and rugby-league players. Methods: Stereoacuity (TNO), colour vision, and distance (with/without pinhole) and near visual acuity (VA) were measured in two cricket squads (elite/international-level, female, n=16; near-elite, male, n=23) and one professional rugby-league squad (male, n=20). Refractive error was determined, and details of any correction worn and visual history were recorded. Results: Overall, 63% had their last eye-examination within 2 years. However, some had not had an eye examination for 5 years, or had never had one (near-elite-cricketers: 30%; rugby-league players: 15%; elite-cricketers: 6%). Comparing our results for all participants to published data for young, optimally-corrected, non-sporting adults, distance VA was ~1 line of letters worse than expected. Adopting α=0.01, the deficit in distance-VA deficit was significant, but only for elite-cricketers (p<0.001) (near-elite cricketers, p=0.02; rugby-league players, p=0.03). Near-VA did not differ between subgroups or relative to published norms for young adults (p>0.02 for all comparisons). On average, stereoacuity was better than in young adults, but only in elite-cricketers (p<0.001; p=0.03, near-elite-cricketers; p=0.47, rugby-league -players). On-field visual issues were present in 27% of participants, and mostly (in 75% of cases) comprised uncorrected ametropia. Some cricketers (near-elite: 17.4%; elite: 38%) wore refractive correction during play but no rugby-league player did. Some individuals with prescribed correction choose not to wear it when playing. Conclusion: Aside from near stereoacuity in elite-cricketers, these basic visual abilities were not better than equivalent, published data for optimally-corrected adults. 20-25% exhibited sub-optimal vision, suggesting that the clearest possible vision might not be critical for participation at the highest levels in the sports of cricket or rugby-league. Although vision could be improved in a sizeable proportion of our sample, the impact of correcting these, mostly subtle, refractive anomalies on playing performance is unknown. / Funded by the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) grants BB/J018163/1, BB/J016365/1 and BB/J018872/1.

Title: The Future of Motocross sport in the Czech Republic Objectives: The aim of this thesis is to assess chosen factors influencing international success in motocross in the Czech Republic within the current system and development in the previous 40 years. Methods: This is a mixed research. The qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The semi-structured interviews were made with three experts from motocross sport. Two of them were representatives of the Autoclub of the Czech Republic and one was from regional motocross center. The electronic interrogation method for Czech elite motocross riders and document analysis were also used. Results: Motocross was a very successful sport in the history of the Czech Republic. The results showed that even though funds are important in the motocross, the organisation of this sport in the Czech Republic is still primarily based on voluntariness. There is no promotion of motocross in the Czech Republic, so there is also a lack of popularity and funding. The survey showed dissatisfaction of motocross riders with the work of the Autoclub, riders do not feel support and also negatively evaluated communication from Autoclub. Keywords: Sport success, elite sport, funding, talents promotion, motorsport organization.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka studentidrottares upplevelse av att kombinera studier påakademisk nivå med elitidrott på ett Riksidrottsuniversitet. Specifikt undersöktesstudentidrottare som inte hade någon koppling till en elitmiljö, det vill säga studentidrottaresom elitsatsade men vars idrottsförbund inte hade ett samverkansavtal med lärosätet. I studiendeltog 12 intervjupersoner, fördelat på sex kvinnor och sex män i åldrarna 19–30 (M=22.83,S=2.88). Studien använde en semistrukturerad intervjuguide baserad på den Holistiskakarriärutvecklingsmodellen (Wylleman, 2019) och Karriärövergångsmodellen (Stambulova,2003). Resultatet klassificerades in i fyra kategorier; studentidrottares upplevda krav,barriärer, resurser och copingstrategier. Resultatet påvisade att det största kravet somdeltagarna upplevde var att de måste försörja sig ekonomiskt i form av studielån eller attarbeta parallellt med kombinationen, detta kunde medföra en stor stress för deltagarna. Denfrämsta barriären deltagarna upplevde var bristande stöd från lärosätet samt att de upplevdeatt studierna och idrotten blev lidande då de inte kunde prestera lika framgångsrikt i båda,vilket kunde medföra en känsla av otillräcklighet. Vidare upplevde deltagarna att socialstöttning från tränare, familj och vänner var den främsta resursen för att underlätta ikombinationen. Planering var studentidrottarnas mest använda copingstrategi för att hanterakraven i en dubbel karriär. / The purpose of the study was to investigate student athlete's experiences of studying at aNational Sport University in Sweden. Specifically, student athletes who had no connection toan elite environment were investigated, that is, student athletes who are elite athletes butwhose sports associations did not have a collaboration agreement with the university. Thestudy included 12 interviewees, divided into six women and six men aged 19–30 (M = 22.83,S = 2.88). The study used a semi-structured interview guide based on The Holistic AthleticCareer Model (Wylleman, 2019) and The Athletic Career Transition Model (Stambulova,2003). The result was classified into four main categories; student athlete's perceiveddemands, barriers, resources and coping strategies. The result showed that the biggestdemand that the participants experienced was that they had to support themselves financiallyin terms of student loans or working in parallel with the combination, this could cause a greatdeal of stress for the participants. The main barrier the participants experienced was a lack ofsupport from the university and that they felt that the studies and the sport were suffering asthey could not perform equally successfully in both, which could cause a feeling ofinadequacy. Furthermore, the participants felt that social support from coaches, family andfriends was the primary resource for facilitating the combination. Planning was the studentathletes' most used coping strategy to handle the demands of a dual career.

This thesis aims to analyse the sport policy process in the Republic of Korea through an examination of the cases of elite sport and sport for all. This study assesses the utility of a number of theoretical frameworks all of which were created either in the North America or Europe. The following macro-level theories are discussed and assessed: Marxism, Elitism and Pluralism. At the meso-level Policy Community (Marsh and Rhodes 1992), Multiple Streams Framework (Kingdon, 1995) and Advocacy Coalition Framework (Sabatier and Jenkin-Smith, 1999) were investigated and their utility in the Korean context was evaluated. Two case studies, elite sport and sport for all, were chosen and qualitative research methods were used in order to gather empirical data. A series of forty three semistructured interviews were undertaken. The first round of interview was conducted between 22nd June 2007 and 11th July 2007 followed by more extensive second round of interviews from 29th November 2007 to 15th June 2008 in Korea. The interviewees included academics, journalists, elite athletes, senior officers in the government and sub-national government, senior officers in national government organisations such as KSC, NACOSA, SOSFO, senior officials in KISS, NGBs, the business sector, the military sector and voluntary organisations such as YMCA. Interview data was supported by extensive analysis of documents including government reports, annual Sport White Papers, newspapers and magazine articles. One of the central findings is that decision-making in relation to high performance (elite) sport policy is dominated by members of the political, business and military elite. High performance sport decision-making is tightly controlled by the government which has been consistently the core actor in Korea's elite sport policy process with there being little evidence of civil society involvement. As regard Sport For All, different levels of government and also non-government organisations were involved in promoting Sport For All. However of particular note is the lack of contact and cooperation between the government and other nongovernment organisations, for example, YMCA in terms of sharing experiences of promoting sport. Despite the involvement of different levels of government and of non-government organisations policy direction and momentum was largely set by the elite level of central government. The analysis reveals that elitism is the most appropriate framework to apply in Korean sport policy at the macro-level. As for the meso-level, none of the three frameworks were considered to be particularly useful although Policy Community appeared to be appropriate in the early stage of the research.

There is a rising tendency among countries to prioritise some sports over others and make higher investments of money and resources in their elite development (Green and Oakley, 2001). Such policies and strategies are adopted in the UK, too. Some sports are considered more likely to bring Olympic medals than others and therefore, they are targeted to receive higher funding. Those placed outside the selection are more likely to face challenges in practices to develop their winning potential. Following further research in this occurrence, authors have sought evidences for an inter-relation between funding and performance (Garrett, 2004; Green, 2005; De Bosscher, et.al 2006). In addition, some have explored other influential factors and have stressed on the importance of participation in sport, as the quality and quantity of the talent pool plays a vital role in elite athletes’ development (Sam, 2012; Girginov and Hills, 2008; Shibli, 2012). As a result of an in-depth research, an extensive academic knowledge on Elite Sports policies and sport development has been built, as well as on each of the concepts of funding, performance and participation. There are many studies focused on the case of the UK in particular (Houlihan, 2004; Green, 2006). However, fewer authors have studied these concepts in pairs (mainly funding and performance), and none have examined the relationship and impacts of all three (Grix and Phillpots, 2011; Vayens, et.al 2009; Martindale, et.al 2007). This research will aim to establish if such relationship exists between Olympic sports funding distribution, Olympic performance, and national participation numbers. It will provide a critical review of the British sport system and relevant policies, and it will explore where the written policies do not reflect the relevant actions undertaken. Using mixed methods the impacts of the applied policies will be critically discussed. The gap this study aims to fulfil will contribute to the existing knowledge on elite sport development by providing a better understanding on how funding, performance and participation are related and the impacts some taken-for-granted assumptions have caused.

La structure des pôles espoirs se caractérise par l’hébergement d’une formation sportive de haut niveau au sein même de la formation scolaire. Si les travaux sur la formation d’un sportif d’élite sont nombreux, l’essentiel des études est focalisé sur la socialisation à la performance sportive indépendamment de la socialisation scolaire. La présente recherche vise à équilibrer le regard entre le travail scolaire et le travail sportif dans le cadre d’une approche interactionniste des mondes sociaux en référence aux travaux de Becker (1982) et Strauss (1988). Elle s’appuie sur une enquête ethnographique de plus de trois ans réalisée dans deux pôles espoirs (rugby et natation synchronisée) choisis pour leurs structures similaires (internat, implantation urbaine) et surtout leurs caractéristiques différenciées (marquage genré, cultures sportives contrastées). Elle est complétée par 18 entretiens de recherche approfondis auprès d’élèves-sportifs, entraîneurs, professeurs et médecins. Il s’agit d’étudier ce que font concrètement les acteurs pour articuler le monde sportif au monde scolaire. Le pôle espoir est ainsi appréhendé comme une organisation dynamique et négociée au sein de laquelle le monde du sport de haut niveau et le monde de l’école sont amenés à interagir, à s’entrecroiser, voire à se chevaucher. Faire l’hypothèse de l’existence de mondes différenciés au sein d’un pôle espoir permet de saisir au travers de heurts et de négociations des conceptions singulières des situations dans lesquelles les acteurs sont engagés. Outre les temps ordinaires, la recherche accorde une attention particulière aux temps d’épreuve : blessures, contre-performances sportives, difficultés scolaires. En suspendant le rapport à l’évidence, ces temps d’épreuve vont permettre de mettre en exergue les logiques habituellement à l’œuvre, de révéler les ajustements mis en place par les différents acteurs (professeurs, directeur d’établissement, entraîneurs, mais aussi élèves-sportifs). L’ordre au sein d’un pôle espoir n’est pas seulement déterminé par les rôles dévolus à chacun et les règles qui les encadrent, mais par des interactions complexes, des négociations, des types de figuration (Goffman, 2003) des acteurs. La thèse donne accès à une représentation moins mécaniste et plus dynamique du fonctionnement des pôles espoirs, et met en lumière les investissements et négociations par lesquels s’instaure un déséquilibre au profit des activités sportives, que ce soit dans les temps ordinaires, comme dans les temps d’épreuve. L’approche en termes de mondes sociaux conduit à prendre en compte le travail de la famille et à introduire le monde de la santé pour comprendre l’articulation des activités étudiées. Par leur circulation entre les mondes et les différents types de figuration auxquelles ils sont contraints, les jeunes élèves-sportifs, s’avèrent des acteurs majeurs dans l’articulation des activités scolaires et sportives. Enfin les perspectives professionnelles et les systèmes de valeurs des disciplines sportives entraînent des ajustements différents auxquels l’étude approfondie des deux cas permet d’accéder. / The structure of the « pôle espoir » is characterized by hosting a training of elite sport within school education. There are many researches about the formation of an elite athlete, but most of the studies are focused on the socialization to athletic performance regardless of school socialization. This research aims to balance the look between school work and sports work as part of an interactionist approach of the social worlds in reference to the work of Becker (1982) and Strauss (1988). It relies on an ethnographic survey of more than three years, conducted in two “pôles espoirs” (rugby and synchronized swimming) chosen for their similar structures (boarding school, urban settlement) and especially their differentiated characteristics (gendered marking, contrasting sports cultures). It is supplemented by 18 in-depth research interviews with students-athletes, coaches, teachers and doctors. We want to study what the actors actually do to articulate the sport world and the school world. The “pôle espoir” is understood as a dynamic and negotiated organization in which the world of elite sport and the school world interact, intersect and even overlap. We make the hypothesis that there are differentiated worlds in a “pôle espoir”, it allow us to capture, through clashes and negotiations, singular designs of the situations in which actors are engaged. In addition to ordinary time, the research pays particular attention to the time of trial: injuries, poor performances, academic difficulties. These times of trial help to highlight the usual logic and reveal the adjustments implemented by the different actors (teachers, school director, coaches, but also students-athletes). The social order in a “pôle espoir” is not only determined by gender roles and the rules governing them, but by complex interactions, negotiations, types of figuration (Goffman, 2003). The thesis shows a representation less mechanistic and more dynamic of “pôles espoirs”. It highlights the investments and negotiations that create an imbalance in favour of the sport world, in ordinary times, as well as in time of trial. The social worlds approach allows us to take into account the work of the family and introduce the world of health to understand the articulation of the activities. By their movement between the worlds and the different types of representation to which they are forced, young students-athletes are major players in the articulation between school and sports activities. The career prospects and values of sports systems result in different adjustments.

With the abundance of literature focusing on parental influence in sport, it is important to identify family dynamics that extend beyond parents to include siblings. In this study, sibling influence was explored though interviews with previously identified elite youth female athletes (N=4) and their sibling (N=4) of the same sex who participated in the same sport. The purpose was to discover how siblings influence sport participation and how parents influence sibling relationships, retrospectively. Three categories emerged from the data: positive experiences participating in the same sport, negative experiences participating in the same sport, and perception of the parental role. The participants’ descriptions coincide with observational learning and both deidentification and divergence processes. The data adds to the probable sibling and parent experiences proposed in the Developmental Model of Sport Participation and provides insight for athletes, parents, and coaches on how to manage sibling relations in sport. / October 2015

Syfte: I ett snabbt föränderligt och konkurrensutsatt företagsklimat är det viktigt att prestera på topp för att göra karriär och klättra snabbt inom en organisation. Ett område där forskningen kommit lång vad gäller prestation på topp är inom elitidrotten, där idrottarna behöver kunna prestera på begäran och klara av att hantera press och stress för att lyckas med detta. Viktiga faktorer för att klara av det är de s.k. sekundära kompetenserna, mentala kompetenser och förmågor som kan underlätta prestation. Syftet med denna studie är att belysa hur individer kan nå framgång i sin yrkesutövning genom att arbeta med att förbättra sekundära kompetenser och utveckla sin verktygslåda för prestation med hjälp av lärdomar från individuella idrottare och därigenom utvecklas till att bli företagsatleter.   Metod: Ämnet har studerats utifrån ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv och aktörssynsättet varit det grundläggande synsättet. Studien har en abduktiv ansats och ämnet har studerats med hjälp av en fallstudie. Arbetet inleds med en teoretisk överblick, följt av en empirisk undersökning. Denna fallstudie har haft en kvalitativ ansats och intervjuer har genomförts med tio respondenter från idrottsvärlden. Det material som tagits fram i den empiriska undersökningen har transkriberats och sedan analyserats tillsammans med tidigare forskning för att skapa en så tydlig bild som möjligt över området.   Resultat &amp; slutsats: Genom studien har en ökad förståelse för vilka faktorer som är viktiga för en företagsatlet nåtts. Dessa kompetenser, och teknik för användning av kompetenserna har utvecklats med utgångspunkt i hur elitidrottare arbetar med dessa.   Förslag till vidare forskning: I denna studie berördes endast ett fall och en typ av idrottare. I vidare forskning behöver flera olika fall och flera olika typer av idrottare studeras, för att till fullo utveckla ämnesområdet.   Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien visar på ett antal kompetenser och färdigheter som kan användas av företagsatleter för att nå större framgång och prestera bättre på arbetet, samt hur dessa ska användas. Dessa kompetenser har samlats i en verktygslåda för prestation i slutet av arbetet.   Nyckelord: Företagsatlet, sekundära kompetenser, maximal prestation, elitidrott, prestera på begäran. / Aim: In an ever changing and more competitive business climate, it is important to perform on maximal level to get ahead and climb to the top of the organization. The research on how to get to the top has come very far in the area of elite sports, the athletes have to perform at maximum levels and handle pressure well to win the medals. Important factors to be able to do this are the so-called secondary competencies, mental competencies that will make performing easier. The aim of this paper is to show how individuals can improve their work by learning from athletes in individual sports and how they, at the workplace, can work with development and improvement of the secondary competencies and thereby become corporate athletes.   Method: The subject has been studied from a hermeneutic perspective, where the operator approach has been the basic view. This study has an abductive attempt and the subject has been studied by a case study. A theoretical framework of the topic, followed by empirical research, starts the paper.  The case study had a qualitative approach, ten interviews has been made with respondents from the world of elite sports. The material from the empirical research has been transcribed and analyzed together with the theoretical framework to create a clear view of the research area.   Result &amp; Conclusion: This paper aims to give the reader a better understanding over mental abilities and factors that affect a corporate athlete. These competencies and abilities, and technique for using them have been developed from the base of elite athletes and their work with the abilities.   Suggestions for future research: This study were based on one case only, it would be interesting to look into another case and another type of athletes, as well as testing the tools in the corporate world.   Contribution of the thesis: This study show a number of competencies and abilities that can be used by a corporate athlete in order to be more successful and perform better at work. In the end of the paper, these competencies and user techniques has been collected in a toolbox for performance.   Key words: Corporate athlete, secondary competencies, maximal performance, elite sport, perform on demand, high performers.

Sömn är grundläggande för elitidrottares återhämtning och uppbyggnad. För ungdomar som elitidrottar kan upprätthållande av en god sömnkvalitet, sömnkvantitet och sömnhygien vara utmanande. Det huvudsakliga syftet med studien var att studera skillnader i sömnvanor mellan elitidrottande ungdomar och ungdomar som inte elitidrottar. Undersökningen riktades mot elevers sömnhygien med ett specifikt fokus på skärmanvändande. 504 elever deltog i enkätstudien varav 256 studerade på riksidrottsgymnasium och 248 på vanligt gymnasium. Signifikanta skillnader observerades där elitidrottande ungdomar hade bättre sömnkvalitet och sömnkvantitet, men sämre sömnhygien än jämförelseelever. Skärmanvändande skiljde sig inte mellan grupperna. Resultatet pekade på att elitidrottande ungdomar hade sämre sovmiljö, men bättre sömnhygien när det gällde substansintag och insomningsfördröjande beteenden än jämförelseelever. Ett signifikant samband mellan sömnhygien och sömnkvalitet observerades. Specifika faktorer som predicerade sömnkvalitet hos RIG-elever var skärmanvändande efter sovförsök och uppvaknanden av aviseringar under natten. Slutsatser från studien är att även om elitidrottssatsande elever har bättre sömnkvalitet och sömnkvantitet än elever på jämförelsegymnasium, finns det fortfarande stort utrymme för förbättring. Då elevernas sömnhygien kan anses vara bristfällig, pekar resultatet på att större fokus bör läggas på att ge eleverna optimala förutsättningar för bättre sömn. / Sleep is fundamental for an athlete’s recovery and adaptation. It can be hard for high school athletes to maintain good sleep quality, quantity and hygiene. The main purpose of this study was to examine differences in sleep habits between high school athletes and non-athlete high school adolescents. The students’ sleep hygiene was studied, and specific focus was drawn to screen time. 504 students participated in the survey whereas 256 studied at National Sports High Schools and 248 at a reference high school. Significant differences were observed suggesting that high school athletes had superior sleep quality and sleep quantity, but inferior sleep hygiene compared to the reference group. Screen time did not differ between the groups. The result showed that high school athletes had inferior sleep environment, but superior sleep hygiene regarding substance use and sleep delaying behaviors compared to the reference group. A significant correlation between sleep hygiene and sleep quality was observed. Specific factors predicting sleep quality for high school athletes were screen time after sleep attempt and awakenings due to notifications. The study’s conclusion is that there is still room for improvement even though high school athletes shows superior sleep quality and sleep quantity compared to the reference group. Since the students’ sleep hygiene can be seen as inadequate, the study suggests that interventions to support high school athletes’ optimal sleep should be considered.