Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under (CC BY-NC 4.0) license
Authors
1 Ph.D Student in Sport Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
2 Professor of Sport Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
3 Associate Professor of Social Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this research was to explain the legitimizing functions of sport in the health domain.
Methodology: The present study was conducted using a qualitative approach and thematic analysis. Required data were collected through a systematic search in reputable scientific databases and analyzed in six stages (including familiarization with data, identification of keywords, coding, theme development, conceptualization, and developing a conceptual model). The validity and reliability of the research were confirmed through expert review in the field and using Cohen's Kappa coefficient (0.7).
Results: The findings were organized into 9 main themes, indicating that the legitimizing functions of sport in the health domain are a complex construct of multiple factors. These themes were: Health as a socio-cultural construct; Healthy lifestyle through physical activity; Health in institutional contexts (education and leisure); Self-care and transcendence through sport; The medicalization of sport (with its legitimizing aspects and ethical challenges); Social and cultural dimensions of injury and pain; Physical activity as a health governance project; Sport and health as ideology; and Individual and social dimensions of health management.
Conclusion: The legitimacy of sport in the health domain is a dual and multifaceted phenomenon. On the one hand, this legitimacy is reinforced through institutionalization, medical discourse, and health policymaking, transforming sport into an empowering tool for promoting individual and social health. On the other hand, this very process can become a mechanism for exerting social control, imposing cultural norms, reproducing inequalities, and creating ethical conflicts.
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