Designing Development Model of Iranian Athletics and Professional Sport: A Grounded Theory Approach

Today, the sport of athletics and professional in the world is a major part of the sports industry. It is of a great impact on the development of countries economically, socially and culturally. Therefore, this research was conducted to designe the paradigmatic pattern of Iran's Athletics and Professional Sport Development. This study has a qualitative approach and we used the grounded theory as a research method. For gathering data, we studied high level documents and we interviewed with 19 experts who were aware of this subject. The validity of this research was examined and approved by the interviewers and then expert professors. The reliability of it is %82 which was obtained by using the methodology of the auditing result process. For data analysis, we used the continuous comparison method in three stages: open, axial and selective coding. Based on the results of the study of high handwritten document and in depth interviews, executive commitment factors, reform of government-oriented structural, commercialization, privatization, Professional foundation factors, Economic, technological, cultural and political factors, infrastructure upgrading and development of standard sport spaces, designing talent system and the establishment of a model for the development of athletics and professional sport were identified as nine effective components and extracted in the development of Iranian athletics and professional sport. The results of this study showed that it is undeniable necessity that the formation of a bargaining committee with the government, the parliament and the IRIB Organization as the most important component of the income generation of athletics and professional sports. It also seems that the management of the athletics and professional sport in Iran is very complex. It requires a comprehensive model that all factors such as economic and political factors (macro factor), infrastructure upgrading and the talent system (middle factor) and executive commitment (individual factor).