About

The International Center for Sport Policy and Governance (ICSPG) is dedicated to providing world-class research-based indexes that assess countries' performance in sports and physical activities. These indexes serve as essential benchmarks for a wide range of stakeholders, including National Olympic Committees, National Sports Governing Bodies, National Sports Federations, International Sports Federations, and Governments.

They are invaluable tools for shaping policies aimed at promoting sport participation, enhancing elite sport performance, and leveraging soft power through sporting success.

The ICSPG operates under the auspices of the Faculty of Humanities and is financially supported by the Irish-based company World Sports Rankings (WSR). WSR's funding is made possible through the generous backing of Cellnutrition Sport, a company dedicated to promoting sport nutrition and wellness.

 

Vision

While the global sports industry has experienced exponential growth in the early 21st century, there remains a scarcity of think tanks and research centers worldwide dedicated to sports policy and governance. In the 2020 "Global Go To Think Tank Index Report," which ranked the world's leading think tanks across various categories, including "Transparency and Good Governance," "Defense and National Security," "Domestic Economic," "Education," "Energy and Resource," "Environment," "Foreign and International Affairs," "Domestic Health," "Global Health," "International Development," "International Economic," "Science and Technology," "Social Policy," "Water Security," and "Food Security," no sport think tank earned recognition. Health-focused think tanks, while related to sport and physical activity, tend to concentrate on healthcare services, insurance, and pharmaceutical policies. Thus, there exists a growing need for research-based analysis concerning the evaluation of sports policies.

Mission

Through the establishment of the ICSPG, NDU aspires to become a global pioneer and leader in developing indexes and research findings that can guide local, national, and international sports organizations in shaping their sports policies.

The ICSPG will adopt and update four existing international sport rankings:
1. The World Ranking of Countries in Elite Sports (WRCES): This ranking assesses the performance of all countries in officially recognized international sports competitions. The WRCES ranks 206 countries with National Olympic Committees in sports recognized by SportAccord, as well as those with high media popularity. The methodology for the WRCES was published in the academic paper titled "World Ranking of Countries in Elite Sport" by Nassif, N. (2018).
2. The WRCES Merit Ranking: This ranking evaluates countries' performance in officially recognized international sports competitions relative to their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The methodology for the WRCES Merit Ranking was published in the book chapter titled "Creating a Global Index Measuring Countries’ Levels of Fitness" by Nassif, N. & Keyrouz, K. (2022).
3. The World Fittest Countries’ Ranking (WFCR): This ranking measures the fitness levels of populations in all countries. The methodology for the WFCR was published in the book chapter titled "Creating a Global Index Measuring Countries’ Levels of Fitness" by Nassif, N. & Keyrouz, K. (2022). The WFCR is officially recognized by the International Federation of Physical Education and Sport (FIEPS), which is recognized by the IOC and comprises 142 countries.
4. The World Sport Power Index (WSPI): This index assesses countries' capacities to use their sports success to enhance their soft power. The methodology for the WSPI was published in the academic paper titled "The World Sport Power Index: Measuring States' Capacities to use Sport as an Instrument of Soft Power" by Nassif, N. (2022).

In addition to these rankings, the ICSPG will present case studies and research findings related to: