Cultivating sport citizens

This article considers the potential role of citizenship in sport. The International Olympic Committee has displayed a limited commitment to democratic principles via the Basic Universal Principles of Good Gov¬ernance. While top-down reforms may be necessary, the stakeholder groups (e.g. athletes) seeking more power also ought to be conceived of in the context of a more democratic system. The tendency to focus on democracy in relation to the governance of sport without efforts to educate sport stakeholders, espe¬cially athletes, has resulted in a system heavily reliant on institutional authorities to address concerns. By shifting attention toward the experience of athletes, a different view of the sport system comes into focus – one that centres the development and education of athletes. The aim of this work is to determine the most significant factors in the cultivation of citizenship, in addition to exploring the potential role of education in citizenship cultivation. A more comprehensive understanding of these aspects can serve as a foundation for how citizenship in sport can effectively be cultivated. I conclude by suggesting methods of education reform in sport, grounded in theories of education for sport, education by sport, and education through sport.