Deliberative spaces of elite athlete representation in transnational sport governance

In elite international sport governance, various actors engage in deliberative practices to address athletes’ concerns and interests in different democratic spaces (i.e., empowered, public, and transparent) to inform decision-making. This study examined the democratic spaces occupied by global elite athlete representatives, both independent of the Olympic Movement (OM) and within it. The findings showed OM athletes occupied the empowered space to make collective decisions. Both OM athlete and independent athlete representatives used the public and transmission spaces to help shape opinions and influence OM policy making. In practice, OM decision making was influenced by independent athlete representatives publicly criticizing OM practices, expressing different athletes’ perspectives, and using national legal systems.