Leaders of national and international sport organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of involving stakeholders in the development of policies, says an expert in the field who will speak on campus Friday.

Lucie Thibault, professor in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Brock University, will deliver a free public lecture entitled “Athlete Involvement in the Governance of Sport Organizations,” at noon Friday, January 24, in room 145, Human Kinetics Building.

Several organizations have incorporated more athlete-centred practices that have allowed greater involvement from athletes, Dr. Thibault says. She will discuss and critique issues surrounding athlete representation and participation in deliberations, and their impact on policy and decision-making processes.

Thibault’s areas of expertise include sport policy, globalization of sport, and organizational theory as it applies to sport and leisure organizations. Her research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and has appeared in such publications as Journal of Sport Management, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, and International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics.