The Instrumentalization of Sport in Authoritarian Regimes

Year 2025, Volume: 12 Issue: 3, 1220 - 1238, 30.09.2025

Gökhan Acar , Barbaros Serdar Erdoğan

Abstract

In authoritarian regimes, sport goes beyond its traditional role as recreation and becomes a strategic instrument of political power. It reinforces regime legitimacy, mobilizes mass consent, and reproduces ideological narratives through cultural, emotional, and symbolic channels. Although numerous case-specific studies have examined the political use of sport, a systematic and theory-based synthesis has been lacking. This study addresses that gap by conducting a qualitative meta-analysis of how sport functions as an ideological apparatus in authoritarian regimes, drawing on Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony and Louis Althusser’s concept of Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs). Following PRISMA 2009 guidelines, 173 peer-reviewed studies were initially identified, 23 were screened for eligibility, and 9 were selected for in-depth analysis. The final sample was determined according to three criteria: (1) explicit focus on the political instrumentalization of sport in authoritarian or hybrid regimes, (2) reliance on conceptual, theoretical, or comparative qualitative methods, and (3) publication in peer-reviewed academic journals. Each eligible study was independently reviewed by two authors to ensure relevance and methodological rigor. Qualitative content analysis and thematic coding were then applied to extract dominant political functions of sport. Three recurring strategies were identified: (1) constructing leader cults by associating athletic success with regime power, (2) organizing mega-events as ideological spectacles to foster national unity, and (3) employing sports media to disseminate propaganda and control discourse. Historical and contemporary case studies—including Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, China, and Russia—demonstrate strikingly consistent patterns. The study concludes that sport in authoritarian regimes operates as a hegemonic mechanism embedded in state structures, facilitating both domestic consent production and international legitimation through symbolic practices and cultural rituals.

Keywords

Authoritarian Regimes , Hegemonic Structures , Ideological State , Sport and Politics

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval for the study was obtained from the Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee on May 7, 2025, with document number GO 2025/1497. The authors declare that the study was conducted in accordance with research and publication ethics. The authors confirm that no part of the study was generated, either wholly or in part, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. The authors declare that there are no financial conflicts of interest involving any institution, organization, or individual associated with this article. Additionally, there are no conflicts of interest among the authors. The authors declare that their respective contributions to the research process are as follows: the first author contributed 60%, and the second author contributed 40%.

Supporting Institution

The authors have not received any financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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