A framework for sporting success. Definitions and measures from research on sports featured in the 2014–2028 Olympic games: A scoping review

Le résumé fourni par la source

This scoping review explores the concept of ‘sporting success’ by examining its diverse definitions and measures across Olympic Games sports and regions in contemporary research literature. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in SPORTDiscus, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, MedLINE, and Scopus databases for articles published from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023, using the query: (succe*) AND (sport* OR athlet* OR player*). A framework of sporting success definitions and measures was proposed based on thematic analyses of 434 articles, identifying five primary themes: ‘Placing’, ‘Performance Indicators’, ‘Opportunity Milestones’, ‘Accolades’, and ‘Career Capital’. ‘Placing’-related definitions and measures were most prevalent in research literature. These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of sporting success, challenging the notion of universal definitions and questioning the validity of assumed conceptualisations within academic research – particularly as 135 articles failed to provide any explicit definition. The review offers valuable guidance for enhancing talent development research by advocating for greater precision in defining and measuring sporting success through the inclusion of contextual details – age category, sex, level of competition and specific nation – and optional application of arithmetic derivations. The proposed framework provides adaptable criteria for reporting study populations, guiding the selection of variables to be reported and complementing existing classification approaches. Furthermore, sporting organisations may benefit from recognising and addressing mismatches between success metrics and athletes’ aspirations, fostering compromise where needed.

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