ABSTRACT
One of the aims of this book was to extend our understanding of the role of
the state in sport beyond analyses of what is commonly understood to be
sport policy (i.e. elite sport development, anti-doping in sport, increasing
mass participation and building the capacity of sport systems). The preced-
ing chapters have highlighted the range of regulatory interventions imposed
by governments on the governance and management of sport organizations,
the conduct of sport activities, the safety of sport participants, sport’s rela-
tionship with the media and gambling industries and physical education.
The book has also explored three other public policy areas (physical activity
and health, urban regeneration and economic development, and social
inclusion), in which governments are increasingly turning to sport for assis-
tance in the achievement of non-sport policy outcomes. The purpose of
this final chapter is to draw conclusions regarding the questions we have
posed in relation to these regulatory interventions and other public policy
areas, surmise what future impact the continuation or extension of these
policies might have on sport organizations and suggest some potentially
fruitful avenues for future research into the broader relationship between
government and sport beyond the boundaries of contemporary sport
policy.
