The ‘Global Sporting Arms Race’ is the term that describes the competition among different countries to succeed in international sports competitions. The development of that peaceful competition determines two outputs: an increase in soft power at the international level and a promotion of the national identity and social impact. It means increasing the level of influence that the countries obtain internationally as a cornerstone of the concept of a sporting nation with a proud and healthy population. In order to explain the factors involved in the success of a sports system at the elite level, a systematic review was carried out based on the PRISMA protocol in the databases Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. The findings of the study show that the factors that determine success at the international level have received increased attention, as shown by the number of publications since 2010. The results indicate the following research factors: (1) it was observed that most researchers tend to carry out comprehensive analyses with a holistic perspective, while the UK, Australia, Canada, and Spain carry out segmented analyses; (2) Olympic sports—especially athletics—were the most analysed; while in non-Olympic sports, those with social influence predominate in countries, such as netball; (3) the analysis of meso and micro factors is preferred over macro factors; (4) quantitative studies are preferred through the analysis of primary sources, such as official reports; and (5) the economic variable is the most common input, with medals reached at the elite level being the most used output to check the correlation or significativity of the results.

The scientific breakthrough in understanding the role of sports volunteers, as well as the importance of motivation and expectations management in decision-making, has boosted several studies, helping to reinforce the conceptual idea of a sports legacy, especially in relation to the participation and involvement of Olympic volunteers. In this sense, and reinforcing this idea, this study aimed to analyse and measure the perception of sports volunteers regarding the motivations and expectations arising from their participation in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The study followed a quantitative-descriptive and inferential methodology, with a validated sample of 828 responses collected through a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the original VMS-ISE motivation scale. The results point to a reinforcement of the perceived importance and value associated with participation in the Olympic Games that translate into high levels of motivation and satisfaction by most of the volunteers involved. The most valued factors were the feeling of pleasure promoted by the experience, the possibility of personal and professional development, the passion for the Olympic Games, and the passion for sport. The majority of the candidates validated the post-event expectations as having exceeded their initial ones, and 92.0% of the volunteers would participate in a similar event again. The study allows the reinforcement of sports volunteers intentions and expectations, while validating and confirming previous studies on the importance of motivation and personal development in a successful recruitment strategy that fosters regular and consolidated participation of previous volunteers.

Scientific research in the field of sports management and its respective academic improvement has been pointed out and recognised by several authors as the path to follow for a better understanding of its importance in the global development of sport, as well as in the improvement of academic curricula and skills of sports managers. This study aims to analyse the scientific and academic production of three Portuguese public universities, being this the main source and origin of the knowledge generated over the last decades. Methodologically, we analysed 193 master dissertations successfully completed between 2008 and 2017 available in institutional scientific repositories, as well as in the national library. The results point to a growth of scientific knowledge in Portugal, validated by the considerable evolution in the number of completed works in distinct areas in sports management, mainly in the scope of planning and strategy, human resources and sociological aspects, which helps to reinforce its multidisciplinary and differentiating character. The data obtained allow us to expose a considerable part of the knowledge produced in Portugal, thus contributing to the strengthening of some areas and future research in sports management, given that it is crucial to aggregate the existing knowledge by enhancing new paths and future opportunities. We conclude that research in Portugal reflects the global growth of scientific knowledge and the increasing interest in sports management, both at qualitative and quantitative levels, while also following international concerns and trends.

European sports policies have focused on the implementation of public instruments and policy measures, aiming to encourage EU member states to promote and improve sports habits, while simultaneously tackling high levels of sedentary lifestyle among Europeans. Despite these efforts, data concerning the various measures is quite limited, making it impossible to assess the real impact on the population, particularly in the case of the European Cities of Sport. This award has been held since 2007 and has already distinguished 193 cities; however, current knowledge does not allow researchers to theorise about its multiple impacts as a strategic policy instrument for the local development of sport in Europe, thus constituting a gap within sports management research. In order to further this knowledge, we explored European reality over a decade (2013–2022), analysing nine awards of Portuguese cities. We employed qualitative methods for documentary analysis of public information and descriptive statistics for data analysis. The results show that over 2 600 multidisciplinary events were organised, among which 402 had an international character (15%), an average of 50 sports disciplines per edition, 359 events related to culture and education, and involved over 1 000 000 participants, with an overall investment of over €39 million. This research now allows a theoretical-scientific and operational referential pattern of key indicators to be established for future European ECS applications, while demonstrating an encouraging relationship, from a sports perspective and economically, between public investment made and estimated return, thus contributing to better political decisions and to the positive implications of increasing public investment in sport.

The regular practice of sport is today fully accepted as a condition for a more active life and healthier habits, as well as for a balanced physical and emotional well-being, assuming greater relevance in the military context and in the world peace between nations, where physical and psychological preparedness assumes special importance. The research aimed to explore military sport by analysing its main international characteristics, as well as to identify the socio-demographic profile of military personnel in the Portuguese Armed Forces, their sports practice habits and opinion about the development of military sport in Portugal. Methodologically, it is a quantitative-descriptive study of an exploratory nature, in which, in addition to the research of several official documents, a questionnaire was applied to military personnel about their sportive habits, obtaining 566 valid answers. The results show a high number of member countries (n=140) in the organisation of international military sport, as well as sport disciplines developed (n=38) and participants in the events held, contrasting with a not very significant Portuguese participation. The main reasons are: (a) insufficient support for athletes; (b) infrastructures that do not offer the best training conditions; and (c) insufficient recognition by military institutions. Regarding the sport routines, it was found that 19.6% do not practice any physical activity at all. We conclude that despite the interest in participating in military sporting events, the portuguese military personnel reported the need for greater investment and promotion to encourage their participation. The need for greater openness from the military institutions themselves is another of the reasons mentioned for strengthening their training conditions and recognising the potential of military sport. Keywords: Sport management, sports development, sport and active life, military athletes, military sport.

Con el objetivo de caracterizar el perfil sociodemográfico y de gamer, y hábito deportivo de los/las gamers portugueses/as desde una perspectiva de género se realizó un cuestionario (N=413) en el evento de videojuegos celebrado en Braga, Portugal. Los resultados muestran que el gamer es predominantemente masculino (92.1%), estudiante (76.7%) y desempleado (76.9%), aunque los hombres son más jóvenes (menos de 20 años, 78.5%) respecto las mujeres (mayores de 20 años, 69.7%); los hombres tienen estudios más bajos (secundaria o inferior, 61.9%) respecto las mujeres (graduado o superior, 54.6%); y, los hombres reciben más retribución por jugar (50%) respecto las mujeres (6.1%). Atendiendo al perfil gamer, ambos entienden los videojuegos como entretenimiento (83.8%) y lo valoran como formación personal (87.1%), se identifican como gamer amateur (86.4%), dedican menos de 10h/semana de juego (55.1%) y siguen a streamers menos de 2h/día. La razón por la que empezaron a jugar (entretenimiento el 52.9% de los hombres y la competición el 36.4% de las mujeres) y la especialización de juego (estrategia/acción el 38.7% de los hombres y el retro el 57.6% de las mujeres) difiere según el género. Atendiendo los hábitos de práctica deportiva, las mujeres practican menos (42.4%) y los hombres practican más días a la semana; y reconocen beneficios en su rendimiento posterior en videojuegos (66.4%); las mujeres no realizan entrenamientos específicos para gamers (66.7%). Se concluye que estos datos evidencian las diferencias de perfiles según el género y la necesidad de desarrollar estrategias de promoción de la actividad física, así como desplegar acciones para adaptarse mejor a las necesidades de cada género. Palabras clave: gestión deportiva; e-games; gamers; actividad física; género. With the aim of characterizing the sociodemographic and gamer profile, and sporting habits of Portuguese gamers from a gender perspective, a questionnaire (N=413) was carried out at the video game event held in Braga, Portugal. The results show that the gamer is predominantly male (92.1%), student (76.7%) and unemployed (76.9%), although men are younger (less than 20 years old, 78.5%) compared to women (over 20 years old, 69.7%); men have lower education (secondary school or less, 61.9%) compared to women (graduate or higher, 54.6%); and, men receive more compensation for playing (50%) compared to women (6.1%). Regarding the gamer profile, both understand videogames as entertainment (83.8%) and value it as personal training (87.1%), identify themselves as amateur gamers (86.4%), spend less than 10h/week playing games (55.1%) and continue to to streamers less than 2h/day. The reason they started playing (entertainment 52.9% of men and competition 36.4% of women) and game specialization (strategy/action 38.7% of men and retro 57.6% of women) ) differs by gender. Considering sports practice habits, women practice less (42.4%) and men practice more days a week; and recognize benefits in their subsequent performance in video games (66.4%); women do not perform specific training for gamers (66.7%). It is concluded that these data show the differences in profiles according to gender and the need to develop strategies to promote physical activity, as well as to deploy actions to better adapt to the needs of each gender. Keywords: sport management; e-games; gamers; sport habits; gender.