Today, elite athletes form an important social group, and the non-sport facets of their lives matter as much as their sports performances. However, there has been little empirical research on the lifestyles of elite athletes. Therefore, this study aimed to develop knowledge about the Iranian elite athletes’ lifestyle. The study was conducted with a qualitative approach in two phases. Glaserian grounded theory was used in the first phase, and thematic analysis was used in the second phase. Participants of the first phase included 19 sports experts, such as sports sociologists, sports psychologists, and sports coaches, who were selected by purposive and snowball sampling methods for holding unstructured in-depth interviews. The data were simultaneously analyzed using a set of open, theoretical, selective coding and memos. The codes were grouped into three different categories with different natures. The emerged theory advanced our understanding of the lifestyle shaping structures of elite athletes, lifestyle indicators, and even professionalization of their lifestyles. According to the results, the Iranian elite athletes’ lifestyles include indicators, such as professional mindset, competencies, life vision, financial literacy, responsibility, consumption, leisure, personal issues, and religious behavior. Subjects of the second phase were 44 Iranian athletes in the national levels who participated voluntarily in the study. The data were analyzed by thematic analysis method, and lifestyles typologies were identified. Based on results, five dominant lifestyles among the Iranian elite athletes were identified: consumerist, easy going, socially useful, profit-oriented, and professional. Finally, the features of each lifestyle were discussed.

This paper presents a qualitative study conducted using the Glaserian grounded theory (GT) method. Glaser’s approach to GT differs from Strauss and Corbin’s method, which is more widespread. There are some differences in the focus on participants’ concerns, staying in the research environment for an extended period to discover participants’ main concerns and the emergence of a basic social process around the core category. The Glaserian GT method was used to understand elite athletes’ lifestyles. Two groups of athletes and non-athletes were recruited for the interview as the sample. The core category was determined through iterative coding, memoing, theoretical sampling, and theoretical sorting. There were overlaps in these phases; they fluctuated back and forth and were not as clear-cut as they could be. Results showed the lifestyle components of elite athletes. Besides identifying participants’ main concerns, the results also demonstrated how to address them over time. It is a category of a basic social process named “professionalizing.” Lastly, the steps of creating a concept map are explained practically, which in addition to sports science scholars, can be considered by researchers in other fields.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of the Qatar 2022 World Cup in promoting bonding, bridging, and linking social capital within the host community and beyond. A total of 403 respondents completed a researcher-made questionnaire 12 months after the event. One sample t-test indicated that all three forms of social capital exceeded the test value significantly (P < 0.01). Residents of Qatar scored significantly higher in bridging and linking social capital compared to participants from other countries (P < 0.01). Arab respondents exhibited greater levels of linking social capital compared to non-Arab Muslims, whereas non-Arab Muslims demonstrated higher levels than respondents from other nationalities (4.444 > 3.852 > 3.349, P < 0.01). Residing in the host community and reaping benefits from an event can lead to a more positive perception of the event's social capital. Facilitating the participation of individuals with diverse backgrounds in sporting events can help to develop social capital across borders.

Effective public health interventions require an understanding of why people engage in or abstain from physical activity. This study aimed to design a model of physical activity for middle-aged Iranian women. The research was conducted using the systematic approach of grounded theory. Data analysis was performed through continuous „questioning” and „comparison.” Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 middle-aged women (aged 40 to 65) who regularly engaged in physical activity to achieve theoretical saturation. The coding process identified 128 final codes, 30 sub-themes, and nine main themes. After the open, axial, and selective-coding stages, a conceptual model was designed. In our model: „Advice and Encouragement,” „Knowledge and Awareness,” „Fear and Prevention,” and „Exercise Therapy” are the primary drivers that affect the motivation of middle-aged Iranian women to engage in physical activity. Motivated middle-aged Iranian women by comparison of perceived barriers, facilities, and benefits to engage in physical activity. Experiencing benefits leads to internalizing motivation and can lead to exercise addiction. The developed model suggests that the key measures for motivating middle-aged women to engage in regular physical activity are increasing primary drivers, lowering obstacles, and expanding facilities. Middle-aged women’s physical activity can be understood by employing the created model.

Before COVID-19, perceived freedom in leisure (PFL) was rarely considered based on academic majors. This study examined student PFL during COVID-19 lockdowns. 340 Iranian students studying physical education, non-physical education, and medical sciences took an online Witt and Ellis ( 1985 Witt, P. A. , & Ellis, G. D. (1985). Development of a short form to assess perceived freedom in leisure. Journal of Leisure Research, 17(3), 225–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1985.11969632 [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] ) scale survey in July and August 2021. The one-sample t-test showed that students' PFL (M = 3.78) exceeded the hypothesized value (test value = 3). ANOVA showed a significant difference in PFL means between the three groups (F = 7.530, P < 0.01). Medical sciences students had the lowest PFL (3.45), and physical education students had the highest (3.86). Iranian students' high PFL likely indicates they don't have lessons or schoolwork, giving them a sense of freedom even during pandemics.