Document Type : Original research papers
Authors
1
Professor, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2
Ph.D, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
3
PhD student in Sports Management, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran
4
PhD student, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of sports federation managers regarding information security and data management challenges in the digital environment.
Methods: A qualitative approach based on descriptive phenomenology was adopted, and Colaizzi’s method was used for data analysis. The participants consisted of 17 sports federation managers with direct experience in data management and exposure to information security issues, who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and the interview process continued until data saturation was reached. Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA 2020. To ensure the quality and trustworthiness of the study, the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability were applied, and inter-coder reliability was calculated at 87%.
Results: The findings indicated that the managers’ experiences of information security and data management could be explained through nine main themes and 100 subthemes. Strategic Management and Sport Intelligence; Legal and Judicial Impasses in Sport; Organisational Culture and Behavioural Resistance; External Threats and the Interactive Ecosystem; Sport Economics and Financial Constraints on Information Security; Ethics, Doping, and Privacy; Vulnerable Infrastructure and Sports Facilities and Equipment; Human Capital Challenges at the Operational Level; and Data Governance within National and International Structures.
Conclusions: The results demonstrated that information security in sports federations is not merely technical; it is a managerial, legal, cultural, and economic phenomenon shaped by resource constraints, infrastructural weaknesses, legal ambiguities, and personnel shortages. The study highlights developing context-specific strategies, strengthening data governance, and enhancing security literacy.
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