Olympic sport policy as a ‘sociological problem’

Globally, significant resources are allocated towards sporting success at the Olympic Games. Behind Team GB success, steadily increasing investment has seen many more people employed in Olympic sport, estimated at 471,957 roles (UK Sport & The Sports Consultancy, 2024). Yet relatively little research has sought to understand the experiences of those working in Olympic sport in managerial and administrative roles. Within this thesis, process sociology is used both as a sensitising concept to explore the Olympic sport policy process in the UK and as a theoretical framework to guide the method design. This process sociology inspired approach focuses on long-term processes, interdependencies, power relations, and emotions. The study draws on a multi-method approach consisting of 27 semi-structured interviews with senior national governing body figures conducted between 2020 and 2023, a review of 108 policy documents, and a reflective journal maintained by the author as a sport policy professional. The timing of this research coincided with major global and domestic events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and the postponed Tokyo Olympics. Following reflexive thematic analysis, three interrelated themes were generated: the unique ‘British State’s relationship with Olympic sport policy’, policy workers ‘playing the game’, and the ‘personal impact and personal cost’ on them. The policy process is presented as an evolving figuration of interdependent actors shaped by shifting power balances, institutional histories, and emotional investments. Furthermore, policy implementation is bound up in personal stories, interpersonal struggles, and invisible emotional labour. Policy actors emerge as individuals enmeshed in complex figurations, at once shaping and shaped by institutional structures. This deep level of involvement has implications both for the policy process and for each individual’s well-being. This research contributes new knowledge to understanding policy work and policy workers in Olympic sport in the UK, with implications for research and practice.