Management and Entrepreneurship in Sport

Management and Entrepreneurship in Sport

Designing a Cultural-Spiritual Sustainability Model for Managing Digital Transformation in Iranian Sports Events

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Ph.D. student of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Guilan University
2 Associate Professor, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
10.48301/jmes.2026.590390.1146
Abstract
The aim of this research was to design a cultural-spiritual sustainability model in the management of the digital transformation of Iranian sports events. Considering the theoretical gap in the literature on sustainable sports development, which is limited to the three dimensions of economic, social, and environmental, and the neglect of identity and value components in previous research, this study was conducted with a qualitative approach and the grounded theory method (Strauss-Corbin). Data were collected from 12 semi-structured interviews with experts and studies (400 documents) and analyzed with open, axial, and selective coding. Skinner's (2014) criteria, including long-term engagement and triangulation, were used for validity, and reliability was calculated at 86% with the agreement of two coders. The findings identified six main dimensions: promoting cultural identity, preserving cultural diversity, localizing technology, privacy, preventing calculative discrimination, and promoting human values. These dimensions are organized in a three-level hierarchical system, where localization of the underlying technology, privacy, and prevention of computational discrimination are the principles of the process, and the other three dimensions are the ultimate goals. The central core is cultural humanism. This model is one of the few theoretical frameworks in Iranian sports literature that places the cultural-spiritual dimension independently alongside the traditional dimensions of sustainability and is capable of implementation by localizing global concepts. Since the presented model is based on field data and Iranian-Islamic values, it can be the basis for developing national standards and empowering sports managers in sustainable digital transformation.
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