We are pleased to introduce the collection Frontiers in Sports & Active Living – Highlights in The History, Culture and Sociology of Sports 2021/22. This collection will welcome and showcase a selection of high impact articles authored by leaders in the field. The work presented here highlights the broad diversity of research performed across the The History, Culture and Sociology of Sports section, and aims to put a spotlight on the main areas of interest. This collection aims to further support Frontiers’ strong community by shining a spotlight on our authors' highly impactful research.

Monash University

University of Tübingen

Sheffield Hallam University

Discovering ground-breaking research in sports studies

. This research topic explores the impacts of COVID-19 and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on world-class and elite/international-class parenting and pregnant athletes. It also examines the impact of a specific strategy adopted by World Athletics in 2008 to increase the sports' visibility and accessibility, as well as the social dimension of risk-taking in freeride skiing. <ul> <li>Thematic analysis identified four themes related to stressors and psychological resilience, including lack of childcare support, family planning, and needing to stay.</li> <li>The efforts to increase the sports' visibility and accessibility were of limited success, but did inspire more countries to invest in hosting new events and sending athletes to new disciplines.</li> <li>The research builds on Pierre Bourdieu's sociology and Michelle Lamont's theory of symbolic boundaries to gain insight into how risk-taking is socially regulated by social conventions within.</li> </ul>

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Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

The History, Culture and Sociology of Sports

Highlights in The History, Culture and Sociology of Sports: 2021/22

The primary objective of this community-based participatory research is to explore the impacts of COVID-19 and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on world-class and elite/international-class parenting and pregnant athletes. Participants in this study include 11 female and 10 male parenting and/or pregnant middle and distance runners. Combined, the participants have competed at 26 Olympic Games and 31 World Championships. Drawing on the general concepts of stressors and psychological resilience, we use thematic analysis to develop four themes to understand the stressors for world-class and elite/international-class parenting and pregnant athletes due to COVID-19 and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: (1) lack of childcare support, (2) family planning, and (3) needing to stay away from sources of COVID—including their children. Despite the stressors identified in the aforementioned themes, we identified a fourth theme: (4) participants demonstrated adaptability to stress in spite of—or due to—their athlete-parent identities.

The primary objective of this community-based participatory research is to explore the impacts of COVID-19 and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on world-class and elite/international-class parenting and pregnant athletes. Participants in this study include 11 female and 10 male parenting and/or pregnant middle and distance runners. Combined, the participants have competed at 26 Olympic Games and 31 World Championships. Drawing on the general concepts of stressors and psychological resilience, we use thematic analysis to develop four themes to understand the stressors for world-class and elite/international-class parenting and pregnant athletes due to COVID-19 and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: (1) lack of childcare support, (2) family planning, and (3) needing to stay away from sources of COVID&#x2014;including their children. Despite the stressors identified in the aforementioned themes, we identified a fourth theme: (4) participants demonstrated adaptability to stress in spite of&#x2014;or due to&#x2014;their athlete-parent identities.

Exploring the stress of olympic postponement due to COVID-19 on elite/international and world-class parenting and pregnant runners

The current paper conceptualizes international sport governing bodies (ISGBs) as “agents of diffusion,” whose key strategic interest is in the broadest participation in their sports. Our research examines the impact of a specific diffusion strategy, adopted by World Athletics in 2008, which was essentially the decentralization of decision-making power to license athletics events, and which aimed to increase the sports' visibility and accessibility, especially in previously underdeveloped markets like Africa. We evaluate these efforts' impact by analyzing data from the season's bests lists of World Athletics from 2001 to 2019. Therefore, we employ multilevel regressions. The results are complex but instructive. We find that the efforts were of limited success especially in target regions. Still, the strategy inspired more countries to invest in both hosting new events and sending athletes to new disciplines. However, our results cast some doubt about the sustainability of these efforts. The need for a better conceptualization of relevant domestic factors becomes evident. Furthermore, we find that diffusion strategies, which do not offer material incentives, are of limited efficacy.

The current paper conceptualizes international sport governing bodies (ISGBs) as &#x201c;agents of diffusion,&#x201d; whose key strategic interest is in the broadest participation in their sports. Our research examines the impact of a specific diffusion strategy, adopted by World Athletics in 2008, which was essentially the decentralization of decision-making power to license athletics events, and which aimed to increase the sports&apos; visibility and accessibility, especially in previously underdeveloped markets like Africa. We evaluate these efforts&apos; impact by analyzing data from the season&apos;s bests lists of World Athletics from 2001 to 2019. Therefore, we employ multilevel regressions. The results are complex but instructive. We find that the efforts were of limited success especially in target regions. Still, the strategy inspired more countries to invest in both hosting new events and sending athletes to new disciplines. However, our results cast some doubt about the sustainability of these efforts. The need for a better conceptualization of relevant domestic factors becomes evident. Furthermore, we find that diffusion strategies, which do not offer material incentives, are of limited efficacy.

International sport governing bodies as agents of diffusion—The case of World Athletics

Transgender Athletes in Sports Competitions: How Policy Measures Can Be More Inclusive and Fairer to All

Freeride skiing is an activity that is, or at least can be, quite dangerous. Risk-taking in high-risk sports has usually been understood within a psychological framework. Building on Pierre Bourdieu's sociology, this article highlights the social dimension of risk-taking in freeride skiing by scrutinizing values within a freeride culture. A central question in this article is: what kind of actions are given recognition and credibility in freeride skiing? The findings show that there is a clear link between risk-taking and credibility and that risk-taking might be seen as a form of capital. However, risk-taking's link to recognition is not straightforward—it is limited by the skiers' skill level. To further develop our understanding of the social dimension of risk-taking we use Michelle Lamont's theory of symbolic boundaries. By expanding the Bourdieusian understanding of social practice with Lamont's work, we gain insight into how risk-taking is socially regulated by social conventions within a subculture. This means that we in this article describe three social dimensions of risk-taking: (1) The link between risk-taking and recognition, (2) The limits of the risk-recognition nexus, and (3) The moral boundaries of risk-taking.

Freeride skiing is an activity that is, or at least can be, quite dangerous. Risk-taking in high-risk sports has usually been understood within a psychological framework. Building on Pierre Bourdieu&apos;s sociology, this article highlights the social dimension of risk-taking in freeride skiing by scrutinizing values within a freeride culture. A central question in this article is: what kind of actions are given recognition and credibility in freeride skiing? The findings show that there is a clear link between risk-taking and credibility and that risk-taking might be seen as a form of capital. However, risk-taking&apos;s link to recognition is not straightforward&#x2014;it is limited by the skiers&apos; skill level. To further develop our understanding of the social dimension of risk-taking we use Michelle Lamont&apos;s theory of symbolic boundaries. By expanding the Bourdieusian understanding of social practice with Lamont&apos;s work, we gain insight into how risk-taking is socially regulated by social conventions within a subculture. This means that we in this article describe three social dimensions of risk-taking: (1) The link between risk-taking and recognition, (2) The limits of the risk-recognition nexus, and (3) The moral boundaries of risk-taking.