Project-Based Organizational Framework for Sports Clubs Preparing Candidates for the Olympic Games: Development and Expert Evaluation
Annotation
Background and Study Aim. Preparing athletes for Olympic competition requires sports clubs to coordinate coaching, scientific support, medical services, education, and organizational management within an integrated system. Contemporary Olympic sport has become increasingly multidisciplinary, requiring organizational structures capable of supporting long-term athlete development and high-performance preparation. Nevertheless, many sports clubs continue to rely on traditional management models that emphasize coaching while providing limited integration of scientific, medical-biological, methodological, and psychosocial services. Existing studies have highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary support for elite athlete performance but provide limited guidance regarding comprehensive organizational models for sports clubs responsible for Olympic preparation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a project-based organizational framework for sports clubs responsible for preparing athletes who are candidates for participation in the Olympic Games.
Materials and Methods. A descriptive-analytical research design was applied using documentary analysis, organizational modelling, expert evaluation, and simulation methods. Scientific and methodological literature concerning Olympic athlete preparation and sports club management was reviewed to identify the organizational components required for effective athlete development. Based on the analysis, a project-oriented organizational framework integrating educational, training, competitive, methodological, psychosocial, and medical-biological support systems was developed. The proposed model was evaluated through structured expert assessment involving 42 first-category coaches. In addition, implementation feasibility was examined through simulation exercises conducted with representatives of two sports clubs under existing organizational conditions.
Results. Analysis showed that only approximately 40% of the organizational positions required for comprehensive Olympic athlete preparation were represented in existing sports clubs. Simulation demonstrated that approximately 65% of the proposed organizational functions could be implemented within current institutional conditions. Expert evaluation indicated that 65% of coaches considered the framework effective for analysing and improving sports club operations, whereas 5% regarded its implementation as excessively complex.
Conclusions. The proposed project-based organizational framework offers a systematic approach for assessing and improving sports clubs involved in Olympic athlete preparation. Integrating methodological, scientific, medical-biological, and psychosocial support functions may strengthen organizational capacity and enhance the effectiveness of national systems responsible for developing Olympic-level athletes. Future studies should evaluate the practical implementation and long-term effectiveness of the proposed framework across different sports and organizational contexts.
Keywords
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