TRANSFORMING TRADITIONAL SPORT FEDERATION GOVERNANCE INTO ATHLETE-CENTRED HIGH-PERFORMANCE SYSTEMS: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR BAHRAIN AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

Abstract

The increasing complexity of elite sport has transformed the role of national sport federations from traditional governing bodies into strategically driven organisations responsible for developing sustainable high-performance systems. While governance has become widely recognised as a critical determinant of organisational effectiveness and international sporting success, existing research has primarily examined governance principles, organisational performance, and elite sport policies as separate domains. Comparatively little attention has been devoted to understanding how governance transformation enables national sport federations to evolve into athlete-centred high performance systems, particularly within different national governance contexts. This conceptual gap limits the theoretical understanding of governance as an integrated organisational capability rather than a collection of isolated governance practices.This paper develops a conceptual framework that explains the transformation of traditional sport federation governance into athlete-centred high performance systems through a comparative perspective of Bahrain and the United Kingdom. Grounded in Systems Theory and informed by contemporary sport governance and high-performance sport literature, the paper conceptualises governance transformation as a dynamic organisational process in which strategic leadership, organisational coordination, accountability mechanisms, stakeholder engagement, and athlete-centred decision-making interact to enhance organisational capability and sustainable sporting performance. The proposed High-Performance Governance Model (HPGM) positions governance as an adaptive system characterised by continuous organisational learning, strategic alignment, and reciprocal feedback rather than a static administrative structure. The paper contributes to the sport governance literature in three important ways. First, it integrates fragmented governance concepts into a unified systems-based framework that explains governance transformation within national sport federations. Second, it extends existing governance scholarship by shifting the focus from governance evaluation towards governance evolution and organisational capability development. Third, it provides a comparative conceptual perspective that examines governance transformation within two contrasting national contexts, offering insights into how governance principles may be interpreted and implemented across different organisational environments.The proposed framework establishes a theoretical foundation for future qualitative investigation and provides practical guidance for policymakers, national sport federations, and high performance leaders seeking to strengthen governance capacity and develop sustainable athlete centred high-performance systems. By conceptualising governance transformation as the central mechanism linking organisational capability with elite sport development, this paper advances contemporary understanding of governance-performance alignment and offers a platform for future empirical validation through comparative research between Bahrain and the United Kingdom.