CSR : a new governance approach for regulating professional sport ? : the case of french professionnal sports clubs

The purpose of this paper is to examine the CSR practices and their implementation in the context of French professional sports clubs. In doing so, it analyses the link between the governance of sports clubs and CSR, which is viewed as a component of governance expanded to stakeholders and contributing to the creation of shared value. Drawing on interview data with key stakeholders of four professional sport clubs (football and basketball) and secondary material, the study sheds light on the determinants, the implementation as well as the impact of CSR on the governance of the professional clubs under examination.

Longitudinal monitoring of endogenous steroids in human serum by UHPLC-MS/MS as a tool to detect testosterone abuse in sports.

The detection of testosterone abuse in sports is routinely achieved through the 'steroidal module' of the Athlete Biological Passport by GC-MS(/MS) quantification of selected endogenous anabolic androgenic steroids (EAAS) from athletes' urines. To overcome some limitations of the "urinary steroid profile" such as the presence of confounding factors (ethnicity, enzyme polymorphism, bacterial contamination, and ethanol), ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) measurements of blood concentrations of testosterone, its major metabolites, and precursors could represent an interesting and complementary strategy. In this work, two UHPLC-MS/MS methods were developed for the quantification of testosterone and related compounds in human serum, including major progestogens, corticoids, and estrogens. The validated methods were then used for the analyses of serum samples collected from 19 healthy male volunteers after oral and transdermal testosterone administration. Results from unsupervised multiway analysis allowed variations of target analytes to be assessed simultaneously over a 96-h time period. Except for alteration of concentration values due to the circadian rhythm, which concerns mainly corticosteroids, DHEA, and progesterone, significant variations linked to the oral and transdermal testosterone administration were observed for testosterone, DHT, and androstenedione. As a second step of analysis, the longitudinal monitoring of these biomarkers using intra-individual thresholds showed, in comparison to urine, significant improvements in the detection of testosterone administration, especially for volunteers with del/del genotype for phase II UGT2B17 enzyme, not sensitive to the main urinary marker, T/E ratio. A substantial extension of the detection window after transdermal testosterone administration was also observed in serum matrix. The longitudinal follow-up proposed in this study represents a first example of 'blood steroid profile' in doping control analysis, which can be proposed in the future as a complement to the 'urinary module' for improving steroid abuse detection capabilities.

Conclusions and future directions for sports events management scholarship

The book adopts a unique stakeholder perspective, structured around the groups and individuals who have an interest in and co-create sports events, including organising committees, promoters, sport organisations, spectators, community groups, sponsors, host governments, the media and NGOs. Each chapter addresses a specific stakeholder, defines that stakeholder and its relationships with sports events, describes the managerial requirements for a successful event, assesses current research and directions for future research, and outlines the normative dimensions of stakeholder engagement (such as sustainability and legacy)

A rationalist perspective on the autonomy of international sport governing bodies : towards a pragmatic autonomy in the steering of sports

International sport governing bodies (ISGBs) are built on the foundations of freedom of association and traditionally enjoy a large degree of autonomy in their decision-making. Their autonomy is increasingly confined, however, and their hierarchical self-governance is giving way to a more networked governance, in which different stakeholders exert power in different ways and in different contexts in a complex web of interrelationships. Taking a rationalist perspective on the autonomy of ISGBs, this article demonstrates that ISGBs are deploying strategies to safeguard their waning governing monopoly over international sport. Opting for an inductive approach, the authors present four possible conceptualizations of autonomy as applied to ISGBs, namely political autonomy, legal autonomy, financial autonomy and pyramidal autonomy. For each dimension, they describe the different strategies ISGBs wield in order to safeguard different dimensions of their autonomy. This article uses governance theories to hypothesize that the autonomy of ISGBs can be understood as 'pragmatic autonomy' since ISGBs only cede certain aspects of their autonomy under particular circumstances and when being subject to specific threats. Acting in a rationalist manner, they are able to keep control over governance developments in sport by using indirect and more subtle forms of governance.

La construcción de la marca ‘Qatar’ a partir del deporte: ‘sports place branding’ y prensa deportiva catalana

Los grandes eventos deportivos se han utilizado con fines promocionales para los territorios desde el siglo XIX. En este sentido, la Copa del Mundo de la FIFA de 2022, que se celebrará en Qatar, deviene una excusa ideal para el gobierno de la nación para legitimar su posicionamiento internacional, así como para participar activamente en el negocio mundial del fútbol. Además, desde 2011, Qatar Foundation (QF) ejecuta un acuerdo de patrocinio con el FC Barcelona, último campeón de la UEFA Champions League (ECL) y del Mundial de Clubes de la FIFA (2011), que le permitirá desarrollar proyectos sociales vinculados a la marca Barça en todo el mundo. Este artículo tiene el objetivo de analizar el posicionamiento internacional de Qatar, canalizado mediante un proceso de construcción de marca protagonizado por el deporte y proyectado a través de los medios de comunicación qataríes (AlJazzera) y los propios de los territorios donde el gobierno qatarí invierte, como es el caso de Cataluña.

Troubles du comportement alimentaire (TCA), sports de remise en forme et motivations de pratique = Fitness sports, sport motives and eating disorders

Cet article a pour but d'identifier et de mieux comprendre les liens entre les motivations des pratiquantes de sports de remise en forme, les troubles du comportement alimentaire (TCA) et les troubles psychologiques associés (i.e., insatisfaction corporelle, dépendance à l'exercice physique). Au total, 1270 pratiquantes ont répondu à un questionnaire et 40 ont participé à un entretien semi-directif. Les motivations de perte de poids et/ou modification de l'apparence corporelle sont en lien avec les TCA et l'insatisfaction corporelle. La dépendance à l'exercice physique n'est pas systématique chez les femmes avec TCA. Les pratiquantes de sports de remise en forme motivées uniquement par la perte de poids et/ou la modification de l'apparence sont plus à risques dans levdéveloppement des TCA. The aim of this study was to identify and to better understand links between females' motives in fitness sports, eating disorders (ED) and associated psychological disorders (i.e. body dissatisfaction, exercise dependence). In all, 1270 women were asked by questionnaire and 40 by semi-structured interview. Weight loss/body appearance change motives are related to ED and body dissatisfaction. Exercise dependence are not systematic in women with ED. Fitness sports are at risk in the development of ED for women motivated only by weight loss/body appearance change motives

Foliar photochemical processes and carbon metabolism under favourable and adverse winter conditions in a Mediterranean mixed forest, Catalonia (Spain)

Evergreen trees in the Mediterranean region must cope with a wide range of environmental stresses from summer drought to winter cold. The mildness of Mediterranean winters can periodically lead to favourable environmental conditions above the threshold for a positive carbon balance, benefitting evergreen woody species more than deciduous ones. The comparatively lower solar energy input in winter decreases the foliar light saturation point. This leads to a higher susceptibility to photoinhibitory stress especially when chilly (< 12 C) or freezing temperatures (< 0 C) coincide with clear skies and relatively high solar irradiances. Nonetheless, the advantage of evergreen species that are able to photosynthesize all year round where a significant fraction can be attributed to winter months, compensates for the lower carbon uptake during spring and summer in comparison to deciduous species. We investigated the ecophysiological behaviour of three co-occurring mature evergreen tree species (Quercus ilex L., Pinus halepensis Mill., and Arbutus unedo L.). Therefore, we collected twigs from the field during a period of mild winter conditions and after a sudden cold period. After both periods, the state of the photosynthetic machinery was tested in the laboratory by estimating the foliar photosynthetic potential with CO2 response curves in parallel with chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. The studied evergreen tree species benefited strongly from mild winter conditions by exhibiting extraordinarily high photosynthetic potentials. A sudden period of frost, however, negatively affected the photosynthetic apparatus, leading to significant decreases in key physiological parameters such as the maximum carboxylation velocity (Vc,max), the maximum photosynthetic electron transport rate (Jmax), and the optimal fluorometric quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm). The responses of Vc,max and Jmax were highly species specific, with Q. ilex exhibiting the highest and P. halepensis the lowest reductions. In contrast, the optimal fluorometric quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) was significantly lower in A. unedo after the cold period. The leaf position played an important role in Q. ilex showing a stronger winter effect on sunlit leaves in comparison to shaded leaves. Our results generally agreed with the previous classifications of photoinhibition-tolerant (P. halepensis) and photoinhibitionavoiding (Q. ilex) species on the basis of their susceptibility to dynamic photoinhibition, whereas A. unedo was the least tolerant to photoinhibition, which was chronic in this species. Q. ilex and P. halepensis seem to follow contrasting photoprotective strategies. However, they seemed equally successful under the prevailing conditions exhibiting an adaptive advantage over A. unedo. These results show that our understanding of the dynamics of interspecific competition in Mediterranean ecosystems requires consideration of the physiological behaviour during winter which may have important implications for long-term carbon budgets and growth trends.

Electric propulsion system in a modern sports car

In this thesis an electric propulsion system is designed on a device level using Cadence ORCAD. The vehicle belongs to the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sci-ences and it is to compete in the Automotive X-Prize competition held in the USA. In this thesis the electric propulsion system and related electric safety measures are designed. Also electro-magnetic compatibility and interferences present in the system are examined by examining the birth mechanisms and transmission paths of interference. Per device effects of interference and solutions to minimize them were examined and proposed. Suitability of permanent magnet synchronous machines for passenger vehicle use was examined by examining the torque production capability of the motor and the torque requirements of the vehicle. Also a short overview of history of electric vehicles is given.

Utilização de análise de segregantes agrupados na identificação de marcadores ligados a genes que controlam a resistência à ferrugem (Puccinia psidii Winter) em Eucalyptus sp.

Devido a grande importância da cultura de Eucalyptus no Brasil, empresas do setor florestal têm buscado através de programas de melhoramento genético, reduzir as perdas de produção e atender a demanda do mercado de papel e celulose. Um exemplo, é a busca por genes de resistência a doenças, principalmente a ferrugem causada por Puccinia psidii Winter, que resulta em redução da produtividade em plantas altamente suscetíveis. No presente trabalho, mudas de Eucalyptus pertencentes a uma geração F1, provenientes do cruzamento controlado entre parentais híbridos E. grandis X E. urophylla, sendo eles resistente e suscetível, foram inoculadas com Puccinia psidii em casa de vegetação e acompanhadas até o aparecimento dos sintomas da ferrugem. Foram classificadas, em dois grupos: resistentes (ausência de sintomas) e suscetíveis (presença de sintomas e esporulação). As amostras de DNA foram comparadas com o uso de marcadores moleculares associado ao método de BSA (Bulked Segregant Analysis). O polimorfismo entre os grupos foi geneticamente relacionado ao loco que determina a característica de resistência ou sucetibilidade. Dentre os 720 "primers" testados, 19 foram polimórficos, porém, apenas o marcador AK 01 manteve-se presente, quando testado em todos os indivíduos da população, mostrando-se a uma distância genética estimada de 20 cM em repulsão ao gene de resistência.