{"id":4263,"date":"2019-04-29T10:11:31","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T08:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ma57.dk\/?p=4263"},"modified":"2022-08-16T10:12:16","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T08:12:16","slug":"in-deep-water-the-act-on-elite-sport-capacity-and-relations-of-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ma57.dk\/en\/in-deep-water-the-act-on-elite-sport-capacity-and-relations-of-power\/","title":{"rendered":"In deep water \u2013 the Act on Elite sport, capacity and relations of power"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Denmark is one of the few countries in the World where the parliament \u2013 the \u201cFolketing\u201d, which pass all legislation and which controls how the government manages the legislation \u2013 has passed an Act on Elite sport. It was the most visionary Minister of Culture, Niels Matthiasen, who had the office in 1971-73 and 1975-80, his talented secretary Claus B\u00f8je, as well as a number of prominent athletes and coaches who initiated the Act on Elite sport (Act No. 643), which was approved by Queen Margrethe II on December 19, 1984. During the preparatory work in the vast majority of topics, the Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF) directly opposed an Act of Elite sport. There were several coherent reasons \u2013 not always logical reasons.<\/p>\n

Inaccurate objects clause and unclear mix of tasks and means<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Act on Elite sport states that \u201d\u2026 Team Denmark is a self-governing institution whose aims are to develop Danish elite sports in a socially responsible manner. In collaboration with the Sport Confederation of Denmark (DIF), the federations of DIF and other relevant collaboration partners, Team Denmark initiates, coordinates and optimaze joint arrangements for elite sports in Denmark through 12 primary tasks\u201d. These tasks range widely and it does not appear unambiguously, either in the Act on Elite sport or in comments of the Act, whether there are targets or strategies in relation to the aims of the Act. Sports results are also not specifically mentioned, either for the aims of the Act or in relation to the 12 tasks. But in my opinion, it is meaningless not to look at Team Denmark\u2019s work from an international perspective. Shortly speaking: Good sport results at international championships such as the Olympic Games, the World Championships and the European Championships \u2013 but certainly not at all costs.<\/p>\n

Revision of the Act on Elite sports in 2004 \u2013 a political compromise between the Minister of Culture and DIF<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Act on Elite sport from the mid-1980s has in the vast majority of topics proved \u2013 in contrast to the vast majority of the country\u2019s other legislation \u2013 to be well-functioning over a decade of years. Only once \u2013 in 2004 \u2013 over the past 35 years, the Act on Elite sport has been revised. One of the major legislative changes in 2004 was that Team Danmark should be led by a board of eight members appointed by the Minister of Culture. 4 members are nominated by the Minister of Culture and 4 are nominated by the DIF. This distribution and competency between the two partners was a political compromise, but in my opinion one of the worst in Danish elite sport history.<\/p>\n

It also appears that the Act\u2019s remarks that \u201cwhen composing the board, it is intended that the entire board represent a broad insight into the world of elite sport and other relevant areas (municipal policy, cultural policy, research, business life, etc.\u201d and \u201cat least two are current or former elite athletes and\/or current or former elite sport coaches \u201cand that\u201d the Minister of Culture\u00a0 and DIF must, when nominating and appointing the board members, ensure that the board together represents the breadth and the competencies described in the Act\u2019s remarks \u201c. That is, in the \u201cspirit and letter of the Act on Elite sport\u201d a professional \u2013 and not a political \u2013 board.<\/p>\n

Capacity \u2013 a central principle in Danish administrative law<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have always appreciated my P.E.education, but in relation to my duties as CEO of Team Denmark, my master\u2019s degree in political science, including public administration, has been of much greater benefit. When I joined as CEO of Team Denmark in the summer of 2006, I was aware from the first working day that there could be some very serious challenges for those of Team Danmark\u2019s board members who at the same time were either board members or employed by DIF or one of the DIF\u2019s federations \u2013 not least in relation to the individual board member\u2019s imcapacity. A person is imcapacity in a case where there is a possible conflict between a person\u2019s, group or organization\u2019s economic, social or cultural ties to the person\u2019s statements on issues within the same field of interest and where there are particular circumstances that may weaken confidence in the person\u2019s imcapacity.<\/p>\n

Already at the appointment of new board members per June 1, 2008, the challenge was \u201cbent in neon\u201d for me, as DIF nominated and then Minister of Culture Brian Mikkelsen appointed Niels-Christian Levin Hansen, member of the DIF\u2019s board and chairman of the Danish Parachute Federation, to Team Danmark\u2019s board for a 4-year period. In addition, Niels-Christian Levin Hansen, strongly engaged in \u201cElite Course\u201d \u2013 a formalized network of 15-20 federations, which at that time was not financially supported by Team Denmark. And he was also a very active \u201clieutenant\u201d for Niels Nygaard in the election campaign as DIF\u2019s new chairman after the \u201cKai Holm era\u201d. It will not be \u201ccompletely out of the wheel\u201d to describe the DIF\u2019s nomination of Niels-Christian Levin Hansen to Team Danmark\u2019s board in 2008 as a \u201cdiligence prize\u201d for a faithful \u201clieutenant\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the subsequent nominations and re-nominations of DIF and appointment and re-election of changing Ministers of Culture \u2013 every second year \u2013 of new board members to Team Denmark, the serious challenge was maintained \u2013 or even further reinforced: Board members who were also members of the DIF\u2019s board, board member, CEO or high performance manager of a federation has been appointed and re-appointed without much attention in the media. These people now \u2013 very often and with very different competencies in relation to the tasks in Team Danmark\u2019s board \u2013 should fill out a double role which, on the basis of Team Danmark\u2019s distinctive character as a professional, independent institution, has been both extremely unfortunate and, to my best, conviction to unfavorable for Danish elite sports main actors: The elite athletes.<\/p>\n

Economic power relationship between Team Denmark and the individual federation\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mixing of interests \u2013 as independent, professional board member of Team Denmark and politically elected or employed by DIF or a individual federation at the same time \u2013 has been numerous, both before, during and after my period as Team Denmark\u2019s CEO in 2006-2014. Only the economic power relationship between Team Denmark and the individual federations \u2013 where Team Denmark most often finances 70-80% of the vast majority of common elite and talent budgets between Team Denmark and federation \u2013 means that everyone will be much better off by DIF only nominate and the Minister of Culture only appointe new board members who are not board members or employees of DIF or DIF\u2019s federations. There are lots of well-qualified human beings \u2013 former elite athletes and coaches with great professional knowledge and skills, and experience from elite sports at international level \u2013 also of both sexes \u2013 who do not have this dual role. But, of course, it requires either a revised Act on Elite sport, that DIF looks for potential board members \u201coutside the walls in The House of Sport\u201d or that the Minister of Culture, who is to appoint new members to Team Danmark\u2019s board \u2013 next time in May 2020 \u2013 has format such as \u201cCulture-Niels\u201d and a secretary in the Ministry of Culture on a par with or near Claus B\u00f8je. I\u2019m far from an optimist in relation to the first two opportunities \u2013 the slim hope for \u201cclean lines\u201d and the greatest possible independence and self-ownership for Team Denmark are linked to the coming ministers of Culture.<\/p>\n

If you want to read more about the establishment of Team Denmark, I can recommend the book: Ivan L\u00f8nstrup & J\u00f8rn Hansen: \u201dDa eliteidr\u00e6tten blev stueren, Eliteidr\u00e6t og idr\u00e6tspolitik i Danmark\u201d \u201d (Syddansk Universitetsforlag, 2002).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Denmark is one of the few countries in the World where the parliament \u2013 the \u201cFolketing\u201d, which pass all legislation and which controls how the government manages the legislation \u2013 has passed an Act on Elite sport. It was the most visionary Minister of Culture, Niels Matthiasen, who had the office in 1971-73 and 1975-80, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIn deep water \u2013 the Act on Elite sport, capacity and relations of power · MA57 Consulting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ma57.dk\/en\/in-deep-water-the-act-on-elite-sport-capacity-and-relations-of-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In deep water \u2013 the Act on Elite sport, capacity and relations of power · MA57 Consulting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Denmark is one of the few countries in the World where the parliament \u2013 the \u201cFolketing\u201d, which pass all legislation and which controls how the government manages the legislation \u2013 has passed an Act on Elite sport. 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