INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

opportunities and last but not least the freedom to choose among them
- this service attitude has to be considered when taking the former
Eastern Block concepts as blueprints. As to be shown later on, this
especially in the sense of an adequate lifestyle support system.
Therefore, braking this strategic aim down into its operative
subtasks, research projects analysing the spectrum of services
provided and tasks fulfilled by the management of today’s successful
sport nations have identified a rather clearly cut portfolio expected to
be able to increase the likelihood to breed winners (Green and Oakley
2001, DCMS 2001). Some of these are indicated below:
2. Professional Strategic Management Skills, Corporate Governance
Due to the above outlined complex general environment elite sport
systems are embedded in, it is first of all necessary to establish an
assertive strategic management, corporate governance or
headquarters (Detoille & Touche 2003b, Oakley and Green 2001).
As a foundation for the operative daily business processes,
comprehensive strategic plans have to be developed in this
headquarter (Oakley and Green 2001) in order to realize the above
described fundamental, and less precise, aim of elite sport systems
most efficiently.
As a consequence of the general situation of short resources
available for an elite sport system, this strategic planning should lead
to a restriction of the spectrum of supported disciplines in order to
be able to bundle and focus the resources available (Digel 2003,
Merkel 1995, Oakley and Green 2001). Taking for example the
approach of the former GDR where the focus had been laid
exclusively on the prestigious Olympic disciplines, this strategy is
assumed to be one of the main factors for the superior sporting
performance achieved (Green and Oakley 2001, SIRC 2002b).
Beside this strategic decision to make restrictions on the output
side, withdrawing or at least stagnating public involvement in the elite
sport support on the resource input side, increases the importance to
make external, i.e. non-governmental, finance sources accessible
(Digel 2003). Referred to as the exploitation of commercial
opportunities, this is assumed to lead to more independency for the
sport system’s management (Deloitte & Touche 2003a and 2003b). To
do so, approaching potential sponsors, donators or partners from the
- 478 -