Promoting fair play in university sports in Zimbabwe
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64754/thedyke.v20i1.473Keywords:
fair play, clean sport, gamesmanship, sportsmanshipAbstract
This study explores the perceptions and lived experiences of university sports administrators in Zimbabwe regarding fair play violations, focusing on perceived causes, impacts, and mitigation strategies within university sport. Guided by a qualitative phenomenological design, data were generated through semi-structured interviews conducted in English with 35 administrators from 16 universities affiliated with the Zimbabwe Universities Sports Association (ZUSA). Of the participants, 23 formed the final sample, selected through stratified purposive sampling, with data saturation determining the endpoint. Ethical approval was granted by the ZUSA Executive, and all participants provided informed consent. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using iterative thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was strengthened through methodological transparency, reflexive engagement, and consistent application of the coding framework. Findings indicate that fair play violations, including the use of non-student athletes, doping, violence, and gamesmanship, are perceived as widespread and structurally embedded within university sport. Participants linked these practices to a “win-at-all-costs” culture driven by recognition, material incentives, and the emulation of professional athletes who normalise unethical conduct. Such violations undermine competitive integrity, compromise athlete safety, and damage institutional reputation, limiting sponsorship and development opportunities. The analysis also informed the inductively derived Fair Play Restoration Model (FPRM), explaining how governance reform, ethical reorientation, and institutional accountability can restore fair play in university sport.
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