The internal governance of sporting organisations: international convergences on an idea of democracy

This research takes into account recent reforms concerning the sporting organisations and examines their internal democratic structure. In the first place, it addresses the international convergences on the elections of the governing bodies, analysing the issue of the eligibility criteria and the fundamental elements of the internal control system. Secondly, it examines the coherence of the ‘external’ control of the sporting organisations with the principle of the autonomy of sport, investigating the implications of the general principle of cooperation and transparency. The study illustrates what idea of democracy is emerging from the metamorphosis of sporting organisations at national and international level, introducing some interpretations of the juridical nature of the sport legal order.