ABSTRACT
Governance and policy development for the major games in elite sport (other than the Olympic and Paralympic Games) are discussed in this chapter. The governance of different organizations that provide athletes for major games is presented first, followed by a discussion of governance of several major games events. The governance of sport in the US is presented, with a brief introduction of federal and state levels of government engagement. An in-depth look at governance and policy development within the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), United States Olympic Committee (USOC), and USA Basketball (an example of a National Sport Governing Body) is taken by examining their missions, membership, financials, and organizational structures. Next, a look at organizations that manage major games such as the Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, World University or FISU Games, the World Games for the Deaf (or Deaflympics), and the Special Olympics World Games is taken. Finally, policy areas prominent in major games, including Sport and International Politics, Financing the Games and Economic Impact, Global Conflict, Terrorism, and Security, and Performance Enhancement are presented.
