A case study of relationships between the organizational capacity of a Japanese national sport organization and the elite sport system

Abstract

　The purpose of the present study was to explore how a national sport organization (NSO) can improve the domestic elite sport system.
　The authors developed a framework for analyzing the relationships between the organizational capacity of the NSO and the elite sport system. This framework reflected relationships among the following concepts derived from a literature review: (a) National financial support influences the organizational capacity of the NSO. (b) The organizational capacity of the NSO influences the elite sport system. (c) The organizational capacity of the NSO influences the elite sport system through other sport development stakeholders. An exploratory case study of the NSO was conducted to determine the best practice for improving Japanese international sport competitiveness.
　Findings concerning relationships among these concepts in the analytical framework were highlighted, focusing particularly on knowledge of the organizational capacity contained in human resources. The findings suggested a chain structure in which the regional coach understood the practical coaching knowledge of the national coach and then shared it with other regional coaches.