Why do many countries' governments decide to stake a share of citizens and businesses tax revenues on high-performance sports? Have you ever thought about it? If managing the common good is the highest objective, what do governments gain or what do community benefits by the sporting achievements of their best athletes?
This is a subject matter that has occupied the minds of various social thinkers and researchers in the field of sports management. The conclusion reached by Jonathan Grix and Fiona Carmichael in a joint study for the University of Birmingham is that the collective benefits are more significant than the costs that countries incur when investing in high-performance sports.
The philosophy behind serious investment in high-performance sports by many first world countries is the so-called sports' "virtuous cycle". success in sports brings the country international prestige. Second, it reinforces national identity and brings about a positive feeling and well-being among all. Finally, it promotes increased sports participation by the general population, which in turn is reflected in better overall health. In turn, the more people practising sports, the bigger the supply of talent for high-performance sports, which ultimately leads to new achievements. And so the cycle goes.
Today, research on sports management shows that a country's elite sports performance is considered:
- one of the primary vehicles for improving a nation's international prestige and reputation;
- a way of helping people build and maintain an idea of national unity and pride;
- a vector for raising the subjective feeling of well-being among the population: a country achieving excellent results in an international competition passes on an image of an active and healthy community onto the world.
The Portuguese government, through its Secretary of State for Sport and Youth, declared his willingness to promote the internationalisation of the sports economy through the existing 14 high-performance sports centres in the country.
With such infrastructures in place, the country will be able to regularly host and organise international events and thus reap the benefits, creating wealth, business, employment, and more and better competitions.
Move Sports shares this entrepreneurial spirit and currently organises not only five tournaments around rugby, football, handball and basketball, but also training-camps and sports tours for high-performance teams and athletes. The investment Portugal has made and continues to make in top-notch sports facilities makes this a natural destination for athletes, teams and organisations looking to improve and outdo themselves. Portugal was the natural choice for us, not only because it has excellent infrastructures - both sports and tourism-related - but also because of its unparalleled geographical location, welcoming visitors with sunny springs and summers, and mild autumns and winters, the perfect conditions for sports practice.
Are you ready to move? To make your sports dreams come true, contact us.
