In a new book, scientists explore the phenomenon of running. With an outset in eleven different countries, the book looks into the historical and societal issues that have made running so popular, and what possibilities the market holds.

Politicians and sport leaders around the globe often argue that major sporting events have a positive effect on mass participation. A new study underlines that it is a myth.

"Sports leaders, governments and advertisers have to stop pretending that winning medals will somehow magically “inspire” increased take-up," write Peter Donnelly and Bruce Kidd in this comment piece discussing the effect of Canada's sports funding system.

International sport is facing new power structures, but also a huge task in making sport and physical activity more inclusive. At the closing session of Play the Game 2013, four speakers mapped some of sport’s urgent challenges without reaching a clear consensus on how to assess and deal with them.

Do sport mega-events hold the potential to increase mass participation in sport? Many politicians trying to gain acceptance for a bid to host a major sport event would say yes. But according to two speakers at Play the Game 2013, this theory of a trickle-down effect is very dubious.

As much as 85 per cent of Danish and Dutch public investments in sport go into sports facilities like football fields, sports halls and aquatics stadiums. But simply building facilities does not make more people active and knowledge on how to make the most of the investments is sorely needed.

Parental fanaticism and focus on performance and competition cause massive drop-outs among young people in sports clubs. But talent production and mass participation are not mutually exclusive, said former assistant coach for the Danish national football team Keld Bordinggaard in his presentation at the Play the Game conference.