SPM123 International Organization of Sports (Spring 2026)
- ECTS Credits:
- 10
- Responsible department:
- Department of Sport and Social Sciences
- Course Leader:
- Allan Bennich Grønkjær
- Lecture Semester:
- Spring
- Teaching language:
- English
- Duration:
- ½ year
Table of contents
Introduction
The point of departure for this web-based course will be international organizations and their roles in the sporting area. The course examines the functioning of international sporting bodies such as the IOC and international federations. In addition, international organizations such as the EU and the UN are discussed in a global context. Finally, the course will emphasize challenges in international sports development and events related to governance, human rights and sportswashing. The structure of the course is divided into six modules:
- Sport models
- The structure of international sport organizations
- Governance in international sport
- International sporting events
- Challenges in the democratic understanding of sports
- Sportswashing
Prerequisite
Admission to the course
Learning outcomes
After completion of the course, the student will
- have knowledge about various 'sport models' around the world, such as the Scandinavian, the European, the American and the Chinese.
- be able to explain how international organizations such as the IOC, WADA and international sport federations operate and understand the role of various stakeholders.
- be able to analyze the role of international organizations in areas such as governance.
- be able to discuss if international events at different levels are vital to the structure of international sport.
- have knowledge about human rights agenda concerning international sport organizations, understand how international sports are used as a soft power and how "sportswashing" is used to sanitize and distract from political and humanitarian criticism.
Learning methods and activities
Work requirements
Assessment/exam
Project assignment. Graded A-F.
Submission of a project assignment, which can be completed once all work requirements have been approved within the applicable deadlines. The assignment task will be published at the start of the course. The submission will include several sub-tasks, and possible formats may include text, audio, or video.
The project assignment must be submitted in Wiseflow during a designated submission period at the end of the semester. Please note that the assignment will be checked for plagiarism, and NIH's guidelines for source use and artificial intelligence must be followed.