Books by Nadim Nassif
his book takes a deep dive into the factors that lead to countries’ success in elite sport. While... more his book takes a deep dive into the factors that lead to countries’ success in elite sport. While some researchers have suggested looking at the political, economic, demographic, geographic and cultural characteristics of a country, other scholars have advocated that meso-level strategies such as financial support, governance, and talent identification systems are the factors that need to be taken into consideration. Taking into account the two sides of this debate, the authors review and evaluate these various components. They go on to use this review to propose a new holistic framework of analysis that includes the macro, meso and micro-level factors that lead to national success in elite sport. This is a valuable resource for researchers and students interested in sport management, particularly the subject of sport governance. In addition, sports consultants and policymakers will find this to be an eye-opening read.
Abstract One of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN), th... more Abstract One of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN), the Goal 16, is to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”. In line with the partnership between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the UN dating back to 1922, sport was officially recognized as an “important enabler of sustainable devel- opment”. The IOC and some of its stakeholders such as the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have therefore the potential to play a pivotal role in promoting transparency and reducing corruption. Corruption scandals such as bribery of offi- cials, betting or doping are often related to elite sport, hence regularly making headlines. But they are only the tip of the iceberg, as corruption is majorly structural and systemic within the national sport policies. Sport in Lebanon is a case in point of this state of affair. This article first assesses how rooted the corruption is in the Lebanese sport community. It will then study how transparency could be implemented in SDGs principles, and how good governance in sport could eventu- ally lead to local sustainable development of the whole society.
Routledge Handbook of Sport in the Middle East, 2022
Researches on sport as a vector to strengthen a country’s soft power have increased in the last d... more Researches on sport as a vector to strengthen a country’s soft power have increased in the last decade. It is today, one of the main themes of the sub academic field of sport policy and politics.
Since 2015, and under the direction of the prince Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, president of the Bahraini Olympic Committee, Bahrain has decided to invest large funds on the development of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA): Creating a professional MMA organization, hosting MMA amateur world championships and naturalizing athletes to dominate international MMA competitions.
The paper measures the results of this strategy, and examines if Bahrain has succeeded in achieving international recognition through the promotion of MMA. It argues that Bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s program did not have a pertinent impact on the highly competitive MMA’s global community. However, his plan raised his portrayal of a patriotic monarch, which could potentially strengthen Bahraini’s nationalism and therefore consolidate the hegemony of the country’s royal family.
Persons with disabilities in Lebanon are encountering heavy challenges that are limiting their pa... more Persons with disabilities in Lebanon are encountering heavy challenges that are limiting their participation in sports and physical activities. This paper seeks to first provide an overview on this matter by analyzing three main components: the Lebanese law on the rights of disabled persons, the status of adapted physical education and sports in schools and the situation of para-sports in the country. The second objective of this chapter is to identify the factors that are behind this complex state of affairs. The difficulties faced to develop sport and physical activities for persons with disabilities in Lebanon are related to two major factors: The laxity in the application of governmental policies and the perceptions of mainstream society.
Universities play a key role in the development of physical education around the world. It is pri... more Universities play a key role in the development of physical education around the world. It is principally in universities that aspiring teachers, coaches, researchers or managers hone their skills and obtain the various degrees to work in the sport industry.
This paper seeks to provide an overview of the development of physical education and sports (PES) programs in Lebanese universities, which started in the late 20th century. Today, there exist five higher education institutions that offer sport-related degrees targeting principally physical education, physical conditioning, and sports management. The booming of the Lebanese fitness industry in the first decade of the 21st century has created new opportunities in this field; consequently, enrollment has increased in the PES programs of these universities. Nonetheless, the risk of having the fitness industry saturate and the absence of a national PES curriculum in schools present a threat to the development of this academic field in Lebanon. This threat could however be reduced if the Lebanese government takes decisive steps towards the establishment of PES as a compulsory subject in the Lebanese baccalaureate.
Key words
Physical – Education – Sports – Lebanon – Universities - Programs
Developing a National Elite Sport Policy in an Arab Country: The Case of Lebanon in "Sports, Society, and Politics in the Middle East", 2019
Conference Presentations by Nadim Nassif
Thesis Chapters by Nadim Nassif
7 PREMIERE PARTIE : Revue de littérature 12 Présentation 13 Chapitre premier. Politique sportive ... more 7 PREMIERE PARTIE : Revue de littérature 12 Présentation 13 Chapitre premier. Politique sportive nationale 16 Chapitre deuxième. Politique sportive liée à des jeunes pays ayant acquis leur indépendance 27 Chapitre troisième. Politique sportive locale 37 Chapitre quatrième. Le sport, identité et politique internationale 44 Chapitre cinquième. La femme et le sport 53 Chapitre sixième. Le sport, société divisée et intégration 59 DEUXIEME PARTIE : Cadre théorique et Problématique 72 Cadre théorique 73 L'institution 75 L'institution sportive 78 Les organisations sportives 81 Problématique 85 Le Liban géopolitique, historique, social et communautaire 87 L'influence des différentes communautés religieuses 91 TROISIEME PARTIE : Hypothèses et méthodologie 98 Hypothèses 99 Méthodologie 104 QUATRIEME PARTIE : Présentation des résultats et discussion 110 Chapitre premier : Structuration, rôles et objectifs des différents acteurs du système sportif libanais 112 I-A-Début du mouvement sportif libanais 114 I-B-Le sport libanais pendant la guerre civile de 1975 à 1990 117 I-C-Le sport au Liban de 1991 à 2009 120 I-D-Le sport au Liban depuis 2009 152 Chapitre deuxième : Mode de financement du système sportif libanais 195 II-A-Mode de financement du sport libanais de 1933 à 2000 196 II-B-Mode de financement du sport libanais de 2000 à 2009 213 II-C-Mode de financement du sport libanais depuis 2009 238 CONCLUSION 253 BIBLIOGRAPHIE 258 RECAPITULATIF DES SCHEMAS ET TABLEAUX 276 SCHEMAS 277 TABLEAUX 279 Présentation 23 Gérard Barreau, Le modèle français du sport. Revue Française d'administration publique, n° 97, janvier-mars 2001, pp. 15-28. En rassemblant les similitudes des caractéristiques des systèmes sportifs Marocain, Algérien, Tunisien, Sénégalais, Béninois, Congolais et Camerounais, Patrick Bouchet et Mohammed Kaach ont tenté d'établir les bases théoriques d'un modèle sportif commun pour les pays Africains francophones 29 . Cette recherche est très utile dans le cadre de l'analyse de la politique sportive au Liban. En effet, comme les sept pays mentionnés ci-dessus, le Liban fait partie des pays appartenant à l'organisation mondiale de la francophonie. Cet article serait d'autant plus intéressant dans le cadre d'une comparaison avec le Maroc, la Tunisie et l'Algérie, pays « Arabes francophones » comme le Liban. Cette étude intervient dans une ère de mondialisation, qui creuse l'écart entre les pays développés et les pays en voie de développement au niveau du marché sportif, de l'organisation et des victoires obtenues dans les événements sportifs majeurs. En effet, hormis le football et l'athlétisme, les pays « pauvres » ne sont pas suffisamment économiquement et socialement développés pour pouvoir concurrencer les pays « riches » dans l'ensemble des disciplines sportives. De plus, ces pays, issus la plupart de la colonisation, ont voulu adopter les structures sportives de leurs anciens « mentors » afin de s'affirmer sur le plan international. Cependant, l'application de ce système de performance s'est révélé inadapté avec les moeurs et traditions culturelles de ces sociétés. Un des buts de cette recherche serait donc également d'expliquer les raisons de la différence dans le sport entre les pays Africains francophones et des pays développés, en particulier la France. Selon Bouchet et Kaach, les points communs qu'ont les Pays Africains Francophones dans leurs structures sportives au niveau culturel, économique, politique et social, mais également au niveau de la centralisation bureaucratique étatique et de la domination de quelques individus des classes aisées sur la « communauté sportive » démontrent l'existence d'un modèle sportif pour ces pays. Ce trait de la domination des élites a également été relevé par Ali Benhaddou dans son étude sur l'organisation du pouvoir au Maroc 30 . Benhaddou a cherché à montrer la représentativité de l'organisation politique Marocaine dans le secteur sportif, où les élites du royaume ont mis un mécanisme à double rôle, le premier leur permettant de contrôler les classes populaires en leur inculquant les valeurs d'identité nationale et le deuxième, par la participation à des sports « huppés », leur permettant de se démarquer de ces mêmes classes populaires. La 29 Patrick Bouchet et Mohammed Kaach, Existe-t-il un 'modèle sportif' dans les pays Africains Francophones ? Revue STAPS, n° 65, 2005, pp 7-26. 30 Ali Benhaddou, Les elites du royaume, Enquête sur l'organisation du pouvoir au Maroc. Riveneuve éditions, Paris, 2009. 39 Abdel Rahmane Baba-Moussa, L'organisation du sport au Bénin. Continuités et ruptures depuis 1990.
LESSN (Lebanese Sports Scholars Network) by Nadim Nassif
LESSN, 2020
On Saturday, February 29, 2020 members of LESSN, the Lebanese Sports Scholars/Sports Scholars in ... more On Saturday, February 29, 2020 members of LESSN, the Lebanese Sports Scholars/Sports Scholars in Lebanon Network, came together at the American University of Beirut (AUB) to discuss “How is the domestic crisis affecting Lebanese athletes?”.
LESSN, 2019
On March 2nd, 2019, LESSN came together to discuss Lebanon’s participation at the Olympic Games o... more On March 2nd, 2019, LESSN came together to discuss Lebanon’s participation at the Olympic Games of 2020 in Tokyo with Mazen Ramadan, the head of Lebanon’s Olympic delegation for Tokyo 2020, Ralph Harb, coach of the Lebanese taekwondo national team, and Ray Bassil, elite shooter and 2018 Asian Games gold medal winner.
LESSN, 2018
During the LESSN event at the “Académie Libanaise Des Beaux-Arts” (ALBA Balamand) on September 22... more During the LESSN event at the “Académie Libanaise Des Beaux-Arts” (ALBA Balamand) on September 22, 2018, multiple issues surrounding the football sector in Lebanon were addressed:
LESSN, 2018
"Rugby League and Rugby Union in Lebanon – the promise of a new sports culture?" was the title of... more "Rugby League and Rugby Union in Lebanon – the promise of a new sports culture?" was the title of the second meeting of the Lebanese Sports Scholars/Sports Scholars in Lebanon Network (LESSN) that took place on Saturday, March 10, 2018, at the Lebanese American University.
LESSN, 2017
A variety of stakeholders attended the first meeting of the Lebanese Sports Scholar/Sports Schola... more A variety of stakeholders attended the first meeting of the Lebanese Sports Scholar/Sports Scholar in Lebanon Network (LESSN) on Saturday, December 2, 2017, at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
Papers by Nadim Nassif
Introduction: The Olympics remain today the largest multidisciplinary sports competition in the w... more Introduction: The Olympics remain today the largest multidisciplinary sports competition in the world, and the Olympic Medal Table has been dogmatically followed by media, scholars, and sports administrators, as the mainstream measurement of the countries' success in elite sport. Methods: Since 2018, the Olympic Medal Table has been challenged by a global sport scientific index, the World Ranking of Countries in Elite Sport (WRCES), which provided, for the first time, a research-based measurement of the performance of all the countries having National Olympic Committees. The main characteristics of the WRCES is a weighting of each sport determining its level of competition. This coefficient is the sum of two variables, one related to the universality and the other to the global media popularity of each sport. In this paper, correlations calculi, using Pearson R coefficient of correlation along with the corresponding P value, will be conducted between the number of citations, number of articles, WRCES level of competition and the number of medals of each Olympic sport. Results: There is a strong correlation between the number of scientific citations (R = 0.74; p < 0.001) or articles (R = 0.70; p < 0.001) and the competition level determined by the WRCES while no relationship was found with the number of medals available at the Summer Olympics. Discussion: Overall, the present study confirms the relevance of the WRCES and adds an argument to contest the rationality of the Olympic Medal program.
This study aimed to evaluate the potential of the Qatar 2022 World Cup in promoting bonding, brid... more This study aimed to evaluate the potential of the Qatar 2022 World Cup in promoting bonding, bridging, and linking social capital within the host community and beyond. A total of 403 respondents completed a researcher-made questionnaire 12 months after the event. One sample t-test
Scholars have extensively studied mega-sporting events’ impact and legacies. However, these studi... more Scholars have extensively studied mega-sporting events’ impact and legacies. However, these studies typically focus on the host city or country. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the first mega-sporting event in the Gulf region, evoked a deeper reflection on the legacy of such events. After conducting 21 in-depth interviews with participants from nine Arab nations and utilizing constructivist grounded theory, new perceptions of mega-event legacy emerged. Arab pride, tangible outcomes, an acces- sible success model, a technical legacy, making sports a key part of Arab social life, boosting social capital, and a hazy sense of sorrow represented the indirect outcomes of the Qatar 2022 World Cup for Arab countries. The similarities between Qatar and its neighbors have shaped indirect percep- tions. Although the perceived outcomes were favorable, some Arab citizens may have experienced conflicting feelings of sorrow. The findings shed light on the legacy of mega-sporting events beyond the host nation.
Event management, 2024
Scholars have extensively studied mega-sporting events’ impact and legacies. However, these stu... more Scholars have extensively studied mega-sporting events’ impact and legacies. However, these studies typically focus on the host city or country. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the first mega-sporting event in the Gulf region, evoked a deeper reflection on the legacy of such events. After conducting 21 in-depth interviews with participants from nine Arab nations and utilizing constructivist grounded theory, new perceptions of mega-event legacy emerged. Arab pride, tangible outcomes, an acces- sible success model, a technical legacy, making sports a key part of Arab social life, boosting social capital, and a hazy sense of sorrow represented the indirect outcomes of the Qatar 2022 World Cup for Arab countries. The similarities between Qatar and its neighbors have shaped indirect percep- tions. Although the perceived outcomes were favorable, some Arab citizens may have experienced conflicting feelings of sorrow. The findings shed light on the legacy of mega-sporting events beyond the host nation.
Literature Review on the Analysis of the Factors Behind Countries’ Success in Elite Sport
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Books by Nadim Nassif
Since 2015, and under the direction of the prince Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, president of the Bahraini Olympic Committee, Bahrain has decided to invest large funds on the development of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA): Creating a professional MMA organization, hosting MMA amateur world championships and naturalizing athletes to dominate international MMA competitions.
The paper measures the results of this strategy, and examines if Bahrain has succeeded in achieving international recognition through the promotion of MMA. It argues that Bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s program did not have a pertinent impact on the highly competitive MMA’s global community. However, his plan raised his portrayal of a patriotic monarch, which could potentially strengthen Bahraini’s nationalism and therefore consolidate the hegemony of the country’s royal family.
This paper seeks to provide an overview of the development of physical education and sports (PES) programs in Lebanese universities, which started in the late 20th century. Today, there exist five higher education institutions that offer sport-related degrees targeting principally physical education, physical conditioning, and sports management. The booming of the Lebanese fitness industry in the first decade of the 21st century has created new opportunities in this field; consequently, enrollment has increased in the PES programs of these universities. Nonetheless, the risk of having the fitness industry saturate and the absence of a national PES curriculum in schools present a threat to the development of this academic field in Lebanon. This threat could however be reduced if the Lebanese government takes decisive steps towards the establishment of PES as a compulsory subject in the Lebanese baccalaureate.
Key words
Physical – Education – Sports – Lebanon – Universities - Programs
Conference Presentations by Nadim Nassif
Thesis Chapters by Nadim Nassif
LESSN (Lebanese Sports Scholars Network) by Nadim Nassif
Papers by Nadim Nassif