Managing high performance sport at the national policy level

In strategic management literature, several authors take the view that performance is constructed by the management system and by managers. According to this view, performance management precedes performance measurement and gives it meaning (Lebas, 1995). Similarly, in high performance sport - also called elite sport in this chapter - systems are created and programs are developed for young talented athletes, elite athletes, their coaches and organizations because there is a growing belief among policy makers that the international success of athletes is "developable" and that it can thus be influenced by human intervention. Studies show that nations who plan for success increase their chances of success (De Bosscher, Bingham, Shibli, Van Bottenburg & De Knop, 2008). This has led to increasing competition in international sports with extensive investment via Exchequer and lottery funding. The purpose of this chapter is to identify how high performance sport can be managed at the national (meso) level and to define what an elite sport policy is