RISK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND INSURANCE POLICY AS PREDICTORS OF SUSTAINABLE PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS AMONG UNIVERSITY ATHLETES IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sustainable participation in sports requires an adequate and well-thought out plan. Athletes are at risk of injury during participation in sports which may make them permanently unfit to continue with their sports ambition. The risk, therefore, underscores the importance of instituting risk management practices and insurance policy among university athletes. Previous studies focused largely on organisation and planning of sports, provision and utilisation of sports facilities, availability of finance and tort law with little attention on risk management practices and insurance policy. This study, therefore, was designed to investigate risk management practices (surveillance plan, sports facilities and equipment, emergency and safety care, maintenance practice, inspection practices) and insurance policy (insurance cover and compensation) as predictors of sustainable participation in sports among university athletes in southwestern Nigeria.

Integrated Approach and Risk Management model provided the framework, while the descriptive survey design was adopted. Five federal universities out of six were selected purposively for the study based on participation in at least one Nigeria Universities Games. One thousand three hundred and sixty-seven athletes (1,367) were drawn across the selected universities using proportionate to size sampling technique, namely; Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (269), Federal University of Technology, Akure (259), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (276), University of Ibadan, Ibadan (291) and University of Lagos, Akoka (276). Risk Management Practices (r=0.72) Insurance Policy (r=0.70) and Sustainable Participation in Sports (r=0.73) scales were used for data collection. Qualitative information revealed that after medical treatment of an athlete’s career threatening injury, most often the athlete is abandoned without adequate compensation. So, most athletes are always conscious of their numerous potential risks both on and off the field; and not willing to go all out to ensure that nothing tampers with their physical health and fitness.

Athletes’ average age was 21.70+1.35 years with 55.6% male. Insurance compensation (r=0.72), insurance cover (r=0.68), inspection practice (r=0.56), maintenance practice (r=0.51), emergency and safety care (r=0.49), sports facilities and equipment (r=0.49) and surveillance plan (r=0.18) and had positive correlations with sustainable participation in sports. There was a joint prediction of risk management practices and insurance policy on sustainable participation in sports (F(7,1279)=206.761 adj. R2=0.73) accounting for 53.1% of its variation. Sports facilities and equipment (=0.47), insurance compensation (=0.39), inspection practice (=0.36), insurance cover (=0.31), surveillance plan (=0.18), maintenance practice (=0.15) and emergency and safety care (=0.06) contributed relatively to sustainable participation in sports. Qualitative results showed that facilities and equipment, emergency and safety care, surveillance, maintenance and inspection plans as well as insurance cover and compensation contributed positively to sustainable participation in university sports.

Sports facilities and equipment, insurance compensation, inspection practice, insurance cover, surveillance plan, maintenance practice and emergency and safety care influenced sustainable participation in sports among university athletes in southwestern Nigeria. Therefore, university authorities should adopt risk management practices and insurance policy to cushion the effects of hazards on athletes with a view to improving sustainable participation in university sports.