Lanseringen och etableringen av ett socialt problem : En analys av debatten om ledarkulturen inom svensk landslagsgymnastik i Dagens Nyheter 2012–2013

The launching and establishment of a social problem: An analysis of the debate on Swedish national level gymnastics in Dagens Nyheter 2012-2013 In 2012 Sweden’s largest daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, published a number of articles on the state of affairs in Swedish national level gymnastics. In these articles, ex-gymnasts, coaches, parents and physicians stepped forward and testified about recurrent wrongdoings and abuse against young (particularly) female gymnasts. In response to the criticism, the accused coaches and representatives of the Swedish Gymnastics Federation downsized or dismissed the criticism as inaccurate. This being said, and using discursive psychology and a qualitative design, this article sheds light upon this debate – by viewing it as a struggle between a hegemonic discourse of ”the goodness” of sports, on the one hand, a number of unfavorable and negative testimonies of the state of affairs in Swedish national level gymnastics on the other. More concretely, this struggle has been analyzed with regard to the discursive and rhetoric resources the involved parties’ used to pursue their claims about the state of affairs in Swedish national level gymnastics and the impact these resources had for their credibility and legitimacy. Questions were: Who is entitled ”to spell out” their view on the state of affairs within Swedish national level gymnastics? What is mediated and how? How are descriptions and accounts about reality constructed as credible and factual? It is concluded that social problems are launched via co-production; in this process, the gymnastics community, the research community, single individuals, and the media – were co-actors. 

Det ideella tränaruppdraget : En studie om ideella tränares ledarskap inom gymnastik.

Volunteer coaches are critical for the existence of youth sports organizations. They are both leading the activity and are expected to develop the athletes in a technical, psychological, social and cultural way. The mission as a coach requires skills and knowledge from a wide range of fields and the mission as a coach appears complex. Stakeholders like Riksidrottsförbundet, Gymnastikförbundet and the sport organization have certain requirements on how to design the activities. Coaches have to follow those guidelines and implement them in practice. The social context is one important factor for understanding the driving force. It affects how coaches perceive their assignment as a volunteer coach. This study aims to contribute to increased understanding of the fenomen volunteer coach mission and increase understanding for the drivers of volunteer coaches in gymnastics. In order to clarify this, 6 interviews with volunteer coaches from gymnastics organizations linked to Riksidrottsförbundet were conducted. This study indicates that the motive behind the coaching mission is grounded in an intrinsic value of being a coach. The coaching mission itself appears partly contradictory when trying to combine the sport related and the social dimensions. Seeing progress from practice and to follow the development of gymnasts are aspects that drives coaches. That combined with the social interaction is important for understanding the drivers of being a coach.