Elite sport development systems and playing to win: uniformity and diversity in international approaches

Abstract This paper explores the former Eastern Bloc's (primarily the GDR and the Soviet Union) supremacy in developing elite sporting excellence and traces the ‘flow’ of elements of such systems to selected Western nation-states. The national elite sport development systems discussed in the West are: Europe (UK, France and Spain), North America (Canada, United States) and Australia. A tentative conceptualization of ‘centre’ (West) and ‘semi-periphery’ (Eastern Bloc) states is outlined in relation to these global sporting flows. Discussion focuses on whether we are currently witnessing a trend towards uniformity in (global) elite sport development systems, or whether room remains for diversity in the development of these systems in different countries. The methods employed for the generation of data include study visits and interviews with key personnel responsible for French, Spanish and UK elite sports institutes. In addition, a comprehensive review of secondary sources is employed to discuss the notion of a uniform, elite sport development model and the efficiency of different systems. Insights from the globalization and figurational/process sociology literature underpin our discussion of elite sport development systems in selected Western nation-states. Analysis of the data reveals that, in the development of elite sport systems in the West, many antecedents of the former Eastern Bloc's ‘managed approach’ to elite sport are increasingly apparent. A number of these antecedents are outlined that point to increasing similarities between countries in the West and to the putative emergence of a uniform (global) model of elite sport development. These similarities are analysed and provide evidence for best practice and ‘efficiency gains’ in Western elite sport systems. However, it has also been found that there remains a certain diversity to each country's elite sport development system: the United States – minimal government intervention; and France – sport as public service; are key examples of this phenomenon.