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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30525/2256-0742/2022-8-4-84-89
STRATEGIC VECTORS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES: INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Inna Irtyshcheva1, Konstantin Bogatyrev2, Serhii Romanenko3
Abstract. The subject of the study is international and national education on the strategic development of physical education and recreation. Methodology. General scientific methods were used in the research, in particular: theoretical generalization; methods of positive-normative analysis and statistical analysis. The purpose is the process of researching international experience in order to identify best practices for the development of strategic vectors for the development of physical culture and recreation activities in Ukraine. Conclusions of the study. The experience of the leading countries of the world in organizing the management of physical culture and recreation activities has been studied and systematized, and the possibilities of implementing individual mechanisms and tools in the national model at the present stage of its reorganization have been determined. It is noted that currently the basic condition for the development of the system is the search for the most optimal balance of powers between the state, regions and the private sector in managing this area, which includes the advantages of the American model on the one hand (primarily in terms of creating favorable conditions for attracting private capital) and the European model, which provides for a moderate transfer of powers by the state through setting priorities, coordination of business entities and targeted financing of priority areas. It is noted that the defining features that are inherent in the system of management of physical culture and recreation activities in all countries that have achieved high results in this area are, first of all: a developed legal framework and institutions, clear state priorities for the development of sports, diversified sources of funding and tools to stimulate entrepreneurship, as well as high attention to training and development of science and technology in this area. It is proved that the development of sports and recreation should be carried out at different levels: state, regional, territorial communities. The possibilities of development of sports and recreational activities on the example of Odesa region are analyzed. As of early 2020, it was recognized that the level of funding for sports and recreation in Odesa region from the local budget and other sources, such as trade unions, sponsorships, etc. is insufficient. In addition, problems with the development and condition of sports architectural objects and facilities were noted. Problems with the staffing of the sports and recreation sphere in Odesa region are associated with low wages, which caused the outflow of personnel. A particular shortage of sports facilities is observed in rural areas.
Key words: sports and health activities, financing, national characteristics, World Health Organization. JEL Classification: G18, H30, H51, H61, I10
1. Introduction
In modern transformational conditions, the physical culture and recreation sphere as a specific type of professional activity and an important social institution has an active influence on human development and under the influence of global
trends undergoes deep qualitative and structural transformations.
In Ukraine, along with a high level of human development, the development of professional sports is stagnating. There is insufficient financial support from the state authorities at various levels, sports
1 Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding, Ukraine (corresponding author) E-mail: innauamd@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7025-9857
2 South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky, Ukraine E-mail: management@nuos.edu.ua
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7224-7892
3 South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky, Ukraine Е-mail: ss.romanenko9@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4446-9244
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0
events are possible only through sponsorship, in most regions there are no conditions for training (outdated infrastructure, high energy costs, low salaries of coaches), limited choice of youth for development in various sports, most existing sections provide only paid services, which reduces their accessibility for children and youth from low-income families. The above factors, as well as a number of systemic problems in the development of professional sports, caused by destructive phenomena of socioeconomic nature, which are inherent in the development of socio-economic systems in Ukraine in recent years, have led to the loss of Ukraine's general position in the international sports arena, the outflow of talented athletes and coaches abroad and the deterioration of the overall image.
Despite the existence of strategic programs for the development of sports in Ukraine, the management of this sphere is unsystematic and imperfect. The chronic shortage of public resources, acute socioeconomic problems that come to the forefront of state regulation, as well as the general decline in the country's investment attractiveness restrain investment support for the development of this sphere and transfer the problems of youth and sports development to a secondary level. That is why, in modern conditions, the study of international experience in the development of physical culture and health activities and its adaptation in Ukraine is quite relevant.
The purpose of the article is the process of researching international experience in order to identify best practices for the development of strategic vectors for the development of physical culture and recreation activities in Ukraine.
2. International experience in the development of physical culture and recreation activities
According to the results of the study, N. Neroda also identifies certain features that distinguish the European and American models of sport: "The European model of professional sports is characterized by the lack of a clear division between amateur and professional sports, despite the significant influence of the concept of amateurism on the development of professional sports in Europe. European professional sport is characterized by a sport-commercial direction of development, in contrast to American professional sport, which focuses on commercial and sports direction. The peculiarities of the organizational structure of professional leagues, namely the open format, characteristic of the European model, or the closed format, characteristic of the North American continent, regulate the procedure for new teams to join the league and form the peculiarities in the regulation of sports competition and the labor
market. The processes of international integration had a significant impact on the formation of the legal framework of European professional sport, which affected its greater internationalization." (Neroda, 2016)
In general, the features that unite the American and European models of development of physical culture and recreation activities are as follows:
1) a wide range of differentiated sources of funding for the development of sport, based primarily on the recognition of sport as an important area of business, the integration of sport and business, sport and municipal government, sport and science;
2) special attention is paid to the development of mass sports, which is considered as an important element of economic, social and ideological policy of the state;
3) high level of development of management and marketing of sports as a tool of sports business and attracting investments in sports and recreation activities;
4) developed scientific base and priority innovative research in the field of sports, funded from various sources, among which the most powerful are international organizations, sponsors and the business sector;
5) a stable and comprehensive system of regulation of relations in the field of sports, as well as integrated rules and restrictions relating primarily to ensuring transparency and preventing corruption in the organization of sports competitions, doping, etc.
6) the development of "sports diplomacy", which is seen as a "soft power" to overcome various misunderstandings between countries. The growing attention to sports diplomacy is largely seen as a response to the crisis of traditional diplomacy. New forums and instruments were perceived as necessary to achieve international policy goals. Sport can play a role in achieving foreign policy goals. In addition to the general perspectives of public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy, the concept of sports diplomacy was also considered. This is all the more relevant as the values associated with sport, such as volunteerism, civil society and democracy, are closely linked to democratic values.
Comparing the European and Ukrainian models of sports management and state regulation in this area, Professor S. V. Lischuk notes that in Ukraine, despite the high level of state intervention in the development of sports and recreational activities, a significant number of issues remain unsettled. In particular, with regard to professional sports, according to the scientist: "The current experience of state regulation of professional sports cannot be called successful. In this regard, it is necessary to solve the following problems:
1) to find the optimal combination of self-regulation and state regulation in the field of professional sports;
2) to establish the limits of state regulation of public relations in the field of professional sports.
The solution to these problems cannot be unambiguous and simple: on the one hand, it is necessary to prevent excessive state interference in the affairs of sports organizations, which is dangerous and can destroy the system of state regulation created by sports organizations. On the other hand, the problems of ensuring public order, bribery of participants in sports events, doping and corruption in sports cannot be solved without the help of the state. Accordingly, the state should understand its role and more clearly define the limits of its participation in the legal regulation of social relations in the field of professional sports." (Lischuk, 2015; Melikh, 2019)
Given the difficulties of the current stage of the socio-economic situation in Ukraine, the problems of certain reformatting or complete restructuring of the current model of state management of physical culture, sports and recreational activities, which will meet current and strategic challenges and will be based in certain aspects on international experience, become obvious.
The analysis of the experience of countries with developed economies shows that the most acceptable model of management of physical culture and recreation activities in Ukraine is the European model, which provides for a wider participation of the state and local governments in the development and
financing of certain areas of development of this industry. In this context, the most balanced distribution of powers between the state and regional levels of government regarding its role is important.
3. Strategic vectors of development of physical culture and recreation activities in Ukraine
The development of physical culture and recreation should be carried out at different levels of the state, region and territorial communities. Consider the possibilities of developing physical culture and recreation activities on the example of Odesa region, which is the largest in area among all regions of Ukraine.
The demographic situation in the Odesa region corresponds to the national one and is characterized by the tendencies to reduce the available and permanent population, deterioration of the natural movement and vital rate, increase of migration flows (Table 1).
The average life expectancy in Odesa region for 2015-2020 ranged from 70.4 years in 2015 to 72 years in 2019, for women - from 74.7 to 79.9 years, and for men - from 65.9 to 66.9 years (Table 2). It should be noted that in 2020 there was a slight but significant decrease in life expectancy for both genders, which most researchers attribute to the effects of the pandemic.
As for the age distribution of the population of Odesa region, there are also national trends of predominance of the elderly population over the
Table 1
Omposition of the existing population of Odesa region for 2015-2019
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Available population, thousands of people 2396,4 2390,3 2386,5 2383,1 2380,3
Deviations to the previous year:
absolute, thousands of people; -0,1 -6,1 -3,8 -3,4 -2,8
relative, percentage; -0,004 -0,3 -0,2 -0,14 -0,12
Number of births, thousands of people 29,5 27,4 26,4 25,2 23,1
Number of deaths, thousands of people 34,2 34,6 33,6 33,4 33,6
Natural reduction, thousands of people -4,7 -7,2 -7,2 -8,2 -10,5
Migration growth, thousands of people +4,6 -0,99 +3,4 +4,7 +7,7
The density of the existing population 71,9 71,8 71,6 71,5 71,5
Period for which indicators are calculated (years) Average life expectancy at birth
both genders men women Difference between life expectancy of men and women
2015 70,4 65,9 74,7 8,8
2016 70,8 66,4 75,2 8,8
2017 71,1 66,6 75,5 8,9
2018 71,8 66,7 76,7 10
2019 72,0 66,9 76,9 10
2020 71,4 66,4 76,2 9,8
Source: data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, 2022
Source: (Odesa Regional State Administration, 2022) Table 2
Average life expectancy in Odesa region
number of children and trends that are unacceptable for ensuring demographic processes of population reproduction.
This indicates the need for the speedy development and implementation of social programs of regional development aimed at increasing the birth rate and improving the level of social guarantees and life of the population. Demographic improvement of the population of Ukraine and its regions, increasing life expectancy is possible through the development of sports and recreation.
In the Odesa region in 2015-2017, the system of children's and youth sports schools (CYSS (children's and youth sports school)) was optimized, the need for which was caused by the abolition of the possibility of financial revenues from the Social Insurance Fund for the activities of CYSS. As a result of such optimization, more than 1000 children were forced to transfer to other sports schools, and more than 600 pupils lost the opportunity or refused to continue their studies in the CYSS. As a result of such optimization, and in fact a decrease in the number of CYSS, at the beginning of 2019 there were again as many as in 2015 - 67 CYSS (Odesa Regional State Administration, 2022).
Comparison of the number of sports facilities in the Odesa and other oblasts allows us to state that the Odesa Oblast ranks second after the Lviv Oblast in terms of the number of sports facilities in general, and second after the Zaporizhzhia Oblast in terms of the number of sports facilities in the AHs (amalgamated hromadas).
"In the period 2014-2018, the construction of sports facilities continued in Odesa region, but the growth in the number of sports facilities is slower than in other regions of Ukraine. There are also practically no large infrastructure facilities being built, except for the construction of the innovative Sports Palace in Izmail and the sports hall of the State University of Applied Sciences in Balta. In 2017-2018, sports grounds for mini-football with artificial turf and multifunctional fields were actively built and reconstructed in AHs of the Odesa Oblast." (Odesa Regional State Administration, 2022)
Trends in the gender distribution of residents of Odesa region engaged in sports correspond to the national trends and are characterized by a slight uniform growth.
As of the beginning of 2020, it was recognized that the level of funding for the sports and recreation sphere of Odesa region from the local budget and other sources, such as trade unions, sponsorships, etc. is insufficient. In addition, problems with the development and condition of sports architectural objects and facilities were noted. Problems with staffing of the physical culture and recreation sphere in Odesa region are related to the low level of wages, which caused the outflow of personnel. A particular
shortage of sports facilities is observed in rural areas. All these shortcomings were declared in the Development Strategy of Odesa region for the period 2021-2027, which made it possible to identify strategic imperatives for the implementation of state policy in the field of physical culture and sports.
The conducted researches proved that the physical culture and health sphere is of strategic importance for the development of the state and its regions for several reasons:
1) Formation and development of human potential, which is the basis for building an effective economy, reducing morbidity and combating stress;
2) educational influence on the development of society as a whole and each individual in particular through the formation of mass sports culture and satisfaction of the need of the majority of people for involvement and achievements, distraction from bad habits and antisocial behavior, development of international relations and communications and unification of values, social cohesion, formation of a conscious civil society;
3) a source of economic growth in the context of the development of the sports industry, the growth of the market of sports and recreation services, as well as related industries;
4) an important image component is the element of international integration, participation in international and world competitions.
Sports and recreational activities are also an important component of sustainable development of the country, regions and hromadas. The role of sport in sustainable development is affirmed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (para. 37), which confirms the growing contribution of the sport and health sector to the realization of development and peace, the promotion of tolerance and respect, the empowerment of women and youth, people and communities, as well as health, education and social inclusion, which together contribute to the achievement of sustainable development (Vidomosti Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2022).
According to S.M. Tsymbalyuk: "In Ukraine, the sustainable development of physical culture and sports is recognized as one of the important vectors of state support and the direction of activity of local executive authorities, local self-government bodies, which is approved by the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine 'On Ensuring Sustainable Development of Physical Culture and Sports in Ukraine in the Conditions of Decentralization' of 19.10.2016. Taking into account the role of physical culture and recreational activities in the formation of a healthy society, development of productive forces and stimulation of demographic processes, the management of this sphere should be based on clear, qualitatively defined strategic goals, which together
are aimed at building an effective model of development of physical culture and sports as one of the basic institutional foundations of society, which promotes sustainable development and quality reproduction of socio-economic systems." (Tsymbalyuk, 2021)
On the basis of the study of the development of physical culture and recreation activities in Section 3 of the dissertation research, it is possible to outline the state of this industry at the end of 2020 and highlight the main positive and negative trends observed within the current model and under the influence of objective factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the deterioration of the economic situation in the state, etc. Among the positive factors, it is worth highlighting a number of factors, further support of which can stimulate the development of physical culture and recreation activities, namely:
1) Popularization of mass sports among the population, which led to the development of entrepreneurship in this area, in particular, the creation of new fitness clubs, sports centers, sections, etc. and the development of related industries -production and sale of sports goods, mobile applications, sports equipment, and so on. Under quarantine restrictions, these industries have experienced a slight decline. However, mass sports still remained a trend and a component of the transformation of national culture.
2) Against the background of popularization of sports, the work on construction, modernization and development of sports infrastructure in a number of regions has intensified. At the level of AHs, the work on the support of sports at the local level, creation of sports teams, in particular in popular areas (football, volleyball, tennis), maintenance of sports clubs, etc. has also been intensified.
3) Local executive authorities and local self-government bodies have increasingly (with the exception of the quarantine period) held mass sports micro-events, namely the organization of charity sports runs, sports competitions and sports days, in which all segments of the population participated.
That is, it is possible to talk about a certain revival and development of sports traditions in Ukraine and the formation of mass sports culture.
At the same time, there are significant problems in the system of management of physical culture and recreation activities, which can be divided into political (use of sport as an instrument of influence, struggle for power, problems in the field of judging and organization of various types of competitions), economic (problems of financing sport and investing in sports infrastructure) and organizational (problems with the distribution of powers, resources, responsibility). These types of problems follow from
each other and indicate the insufficient efficiency of the current management model. In addition to the above, there are system-wide problems: lack of management of physical culture and recreation activities as an integral system, imperfection of state regulation mechanisms, insufficiently clear system of priorities.
Experts of the Institute for the Future of Ukraine have formed a strategic vision of the development of physical culture, sports and recreational activities in Ukraine under the condition of gradual implementation of the established trends until 2019. According to their "Vision", the future of sport in Ukraine has the following characteristics:
"- Increasing physical activity of Ukrainians is a priority vector of state policy.
- The Strategy of increasing physical activity of citizens is being successfully implemented in the country.
- In 2023, a package of sports laws and by-laws -'Sports Reform' - was adopted, which contains the Concept, a number of laws, in particular the Law 'On a Physically Active Nation', adopted instead of the Law 'On Physical Culture and Sports'.
- In 2025, the last state secondary school will be transformed into a public sports club. Mass amateur sports and physical activity are separated from sports of higher achievements. An independent agency is established for this purpose in 2022.
- Federations are completely independent from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, develop on the basis of sports clubs and have mutually beneficial relations with business.
- The state policy is aimed at stimulating the development of sport at all levels. A large-scale national survey is conducted annually to assess quantitative and qualitative indicators, in particular, physical activity of the population. This allows adjusting the state policy.
- Every year up to 1% of GDP is allocated from the budget of Ukraine for the development of sports infrastructure and promotion of physical activity.
- Public spending on sport and physical activity in 2030 will amount to 100 euros per capita.
- The standards of necessary conditions for an active lifestyle with long-term geoplanning, financing and prioritization for at least 4 years have been approved at the municipal level." (Ukrainian Institute of the Future, 2022)
Unfortunately, given the current events, it is impossible to implement the proposed "Vision". The war in Ukraine has destroyed a significant part of the economic potential, sports, social and transport infrastructure, caused significant damage to the economy and led to the loss of human resources - this is the opinion of most scientists (Irtyshcheva, and etc., 2022; Popadynets, et al. 2021; Yakymchuk, et al., 2021; Pletsan, et al. 2021).
4. Conclusions
The experience of the leading countries of the world in organizing the management of physical culture and recreation activities has been studied and systematized, and the possibilities of implementing individual mechanisms and tools in the national model at the present stage of its reorganization have been determined. It is noted that currently the basic condition for the development of the system is the search for the most optimal balance of powers between the state, regions and the private sector in managing this area, which includes the advantages of the American model on the one hand (primarily in terms of creating favorable conditions for attracting private capital) and the European model, which provides for a moderate transfer of powers by the state through setting priorities, coordination of business entities and targeted financing of priority areas. It is noted that the defining features that are inherent in the system of management of physical culture and recreation activities in all countries that have achieved
high results in this area are, first of all: a developed legal framework and institutions, clear state priorities for the development of sports, diversified sources of funding and tools to stimulate entrepreneurship, as well as high attention to training and development of science and technology in this area.
It is proved that the development of sports and recreation should be carried out at different levels: state, regional, territorial communities. The possibilities of development of sports and recreational activities on the example of Odesa region are analyzed. As of early 2020, it was recognized that the level of funding for sports and recreation in Odesa region from the local budget and other sources, such as trade unions, sponsorships, etc. is insufficient. In addition, problems with the development and condition of sports architectural objects and facilities were noted. Problems with the staffing of the physical culture and recreation sphere in Odesa region are associated with low wages, which caused the outflow of personnel. A particular shortage of sports facilities is observed in rural areas.
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Received on: 23th of September, 2022 Accepted on: 4th of November, 2022 Published on: 30th of November, 2022
