ABSTRACT
The review in Chapter 3 indicated that increased politicisation and governmentalisation of sport were prominent features in the recent history of all four countries, although the depth and pace of these forces differed. In this chapter we will examine these developments more thoroughly, and while not neglecting politicisation, greater emphasis will be given to governmentalisation, that is the government’s involvement in sport and the ‘use’ of sport by the government to promote and further its objectives rather than the use of sport by politicians, political parties or interest groups to promote their objectives (see Munk and Lind, 2004; Bergsgard, 2005). Although differences in party politics regarding sport will be touched upon, it is the system that is developed to promote and implement these governmental objectives that is the object of our study. We will begin with a brief outline of the political system of the four countries and the location of sport policy and politics within this system, before exploring the government’s relations with the sport sector, and the objectives and priorities that are connected to the public’s involvement in sport.
