| IDENTIFYING THE OBSTACLES TO THE QUALIFICATION OF IRAN'S UNDER-23 NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES |
| Paper ID : 1570-SPORTCONGRESS |
| Authors |
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Rasoul Tarighi *1, حسن علیجانپور2 1Assistant Professor, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Shomal University, 2Master of Science in Sports Management Shomal University |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: The aim of this study is to identify the obstacles preventing Iran’s under-23 national football team from qualifying for the Olympic Games. Methods: The statistical population of this study includes experts, coaches, and managers in the field of grassroots football, as well as university faculty members. A total of 12 participants were selected from this population using purposive sampling through the snowball method. The present research follows an exploratory mixed-method approach. In the qualitative phase, thematic analysis was conducted using semi-structured interviews with experts to identify the barriers preventing Iran’s under-23 national football team from qualifying for the Olympic Games. This process led to the extraction of 40 basic themes, 20 organizing themes, and 5 overarching themes: (1) quality of training, (2) managerial and organizational barriers, (3) technical and tactical barriers, (4) physical fitness and conditioning, and (5) psychology and team morale. Based on these findings, a conceptual research model was developed. In the quantitative phase, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used to rank the identified barriers and their related components. Results: The results of the present study revealed that the obstacles preventing Iran’s under-23 national football team from qualifying for the Olympic Games are ranked as follows: quality of training (0.264), managerial and organizational barriers (0.263), technical and tactical barriers (0.216), psychological factors and team morale (0.132), and physical fitness and conditioning (0.101). Conclusion: It is recommended that the country's sports managers and officials focus on designing standardized training programs based on modern football science and successful international experiences, with an emphasis on improving the quality of education at the grassroots level. |
| Keywords |
| Under-23 National Football Team, Olympic Qualification, Barriers, Thematic Analysis, AHP Technique |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
