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be done respecting the fairness’ principles, addressing the needs of each of the parties involved, where any
information that may be of interest to stakeholders must be disclosed and accessible, understanding that it
is not only about self-promotion (Alm, 2013).

Taking in consideration the changing face of the media environment and the growing importance of social
media, already seen as the future communication tool, sport organisations should pay special attention to
them, in particular supporters and the general public (Parent & Hoye, 2018).

Sport organisations, autonomy and good governance

By recognising the economic and social function of sport the EU gained a certain degree of legitimacy in the
political direction of sport governance (Garcia, 2009; European Commission, 2012). Chappelet (2010)
addressed that, considering the complexity of the sport system, the autonomy of sport organisations can be
understood in 4 main dimensions (political, psychological, financial and conceptual). The discourse on good
governance emphasises the diversity of the sport system and must consider a multifaceted approach to the
autonomy of sport organisations. In addition, athletes have rights and obligations derived from ordinary law
and also SFS (national and international and) in which they are registered (Parrish, 2004). Many of these
rules derive from the EU's internal market competences, and thus from the so-called fundamental freedoms
of the union.

As a general principle, democracies are based on autonomous and equal individuals. Therefore, the question
of a right and representative electoral system is a permanent debate (Boix, 1999; Lijphart, 1985; Taagapera
and Shugart, 1989; Farrell, 2001; Colomer, 2004; Gallagher and Mitchell, 2005; Klingemann, 2009).

Democratic decision-making in most international sport governing bodies is based on the principle of one
vote per nation (association-federation). Although this model has a strong appeal, allegations of vote buying
in international sport governing bodies in the last two decades, starting with the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic
Games concession scandal, have led to discussions about a reform of voting procedures in international
sport organisations, which could lead to a less coherent and efficient system, but which will act in a fairer and
more democratic way and which could also contribute to a better form of representation. In any democratic
organisation where the membership is of different sizes and compositions, it makes sense to weigh the votes
of the representatives with the level of development its sport has compared to the rest of the world,
contributing most to the development and expansion of the sport it represents (Parent & Hoye, 2018).

The main objective of this research is to understand and analyse the reality of sport and sports entities
regarding good governance initiatives as a strategic element of sustainable development based on the
credibility demanded by today's society, using international sports federations as a specific reference.

METHODOLOGY

One of the biggest challenges to achieve a better governance in IFSs is the lack of accepted, comprehensive
and practical set of indicators (Geeraert, 2015). The IOC Sport Governance Observatory (SGO) aims to fill
this gap, through a user-friendly benchmarking tool based on composite indicators representing the most
relevant dimensions of good governance in ISFs. The tool is based on a checklist of indicators using a scoring
system that functions as a tool for self-assessment.

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Thus, this study has used a mixed methodology of qualitative (through the analysis of institutional documents,
scientific articles and books) and quantitative (through the analysis of the survey carried out by ASOIF on 35
ISFs following the OGD - SGO index tool).

Regarding the content analysis, a distinction was made between formal institutional documents originating
from official bodies and organisations (COI, ASOFI and OGD) and secondary documentary sources (books,
book chapters, journals and other documents) described in the bibliographical references section.

Analysis and data collection

As already indicated in the introduction section, the Sports Governance Observer survey (SGO index) is
composed of 4 dimensions:
• Transparency.
• Democracy.
• Checks and balances.
• Solidarity.

Each dimension is a combination of individual indicators (36 in total) that is quantified using a scoring system
(Likert scale) from 0 for "not met at all" to 4 for "fully met".

The indicators were then applied to the 35 Olympic ISFs (fed), using the following formula (Kaufmann and
Kraay, 2007):

This formula results in a percentage score that represents the average score of the four governance
dimensions described above and their 36 indicators. Similarly, the SGO index of the 35 ISFs (feds) combined
to obtain the percentage average of all of them is calculated with the formula:

To simplify the process, the SGO index is based on an equal weighting of all indicators, although a
differentiation of the weight of each indicator according to the importance to be defined could also be used
(Cherchye et al., 2006). This could be considered a limitation of the present study.

Study dimensions
According to the 4 dimensions described above, these can be described as follows:

A.- Transparency, referring to the degree of availability of information that allows internal and external
stakeholders to monitor the functioning of an organisation and thus decrease the likelihood of inappropriate
behaviour (Ball, 2009).
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B.- Democracy or democratic processes refer to the rules and norms inherent in democratic conduct, in
relation to the participation in election processes of all those who will be affected by the policies developed
by those elected. Sound democratic processes increase the accountability and effectiveness of organisations
(Mouffe, 1993; Klijn & Koppenjan, 2004).

C.- Checks and balances or mutual control procedures are essential to avoid concentration of power and
ensure that decision-making is sound, independent and free from undue influence, ensuring that no one has
absolute control over decisions and actions are monitored by different actors (Aucoin & Heintzman, 2000).

D.- Solidarity refers to practices related to contributing to a better society by integrating social and
environmental concerns into operations and interactions with stakeholders, enabling sport to expand globally
in a sustainable manner.

These 4 dimensions were studied in the following 35 Olympic ISFs according to the SGO index:
AIBA - International Boxing Association
BWF - Badminton World Federation
FEI - Fédération Equestre Internationale
FIBA - International Basketball Federation
FIBT - International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation
FIE - International Fencing Federation
FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association
FIG - International Gymnastics Federation
FIH - International Hockey Federation
FIL - International Luge Federation
FINA - Fédération Internationale de Natation
FIS - International Ski Federation
FISA - International Rowing Federation
FIVB - Fédération Internationale de Volleyball
IAAF - International Association of Athletics Federations
IBU - International Biathlon Union
ICF - International Canoe Federation
IGF - International Golf Federation
IHF - International Handball Federation
IIHF - International Ice Hockey Federation
IJF - International Judo Federation
ISAF - International Sailing Federation
ISSF - International Shooting Sport Federation
ISU - International Skating Union
ITF - International Tennis Federation
ITTF - International Table Tennis Federation
ITU - International Triathlon Union
IWF - International Weightlifting Federation
UCI - Union Cycliste Internationale
UIPM - Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne
UWW - United World Wrestling
WA - World Archery Federation
WCF - World Curling Federation

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