Participatory research in sport-for-development: Complexities, experiences and (missed) opportunities Ramón Spaaij a,b, *, Nico Schulenkorf c , Ruth Jeanes d , Sarah Oxford a a Sport in Society Research Program, Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Australia b Department of Sociology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands c UTS Business School, Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney, Australia d Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 7 December 2016 Received in revised form 4 May 2017 Accepted 5 May 2017 Available online 24 May 2017 Keywords: Activist research Participatory research Power Reflexivity Sport-for-development A B S T R A C T In this paper, the authors examine how participatory research can be conceptualized and fostered in sport-for-development (SfD). The authors offer a conceptualization of participatory research that centers on the interplay between three dimensions: participation, power, and reflexivity. Drawing on variegated experiences with SfD research across different geographical locations, the authors scrutinize the conceptual and empirical linkages between these dimensions, and how these linkages are influenced by structures of authority. Findings suggest that most SfD research falls short with regard to the critical challenge of embracing and delivering high degrees of participation, power shifting, and reflexivity. More specifically, SfD researchers typically fail to relinquish power and control over the research process. The SfD research community would likely benefit from greater inclusivity and collaboration when designing creative ways to improve this state of affairs. The authors conclude by reflecting on the implications and by suggesting ways to promote participatory and activist research in SfD contexts. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). 1. Introduction Over the past two decades, the sport-for-development (SfD) sector has been one of the fastest growing aspects of the globalization of sport (Giulianotti, 2016) and a major driver of the belief that sport has the potential to contribute to community development and positive social change (Kidd, 2008; Levermore, 2008; Schulenkorf, 2012). In short, SfD represents the intentional “use of sport to exert a positive influence on public health, the socialization of children, youths and adults, the social inclusion of the disadvantaged, the economic development of regions and states, and on fostering intercultural exchange and conflict resolution” (Lyras & Welty Peachey, 2011). This definition highlights that, from a SfD perspective, sport is a conduit to achieving wider development outcomes for marginalized or otherwise disadvantaged communities and their individual members, rather than an end in itself. As such, SfD has at its center an ambition to alter existing systems and structures of inequity. Around the world, belief in the potentially beneficial outcomes resulting from SfD has led to the creation of hundreds of development initiatives supported and/or implemented by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government * Corresponding author at: College of Sport and Exercise Science, Victoria University, P.O. Box 14428, Melbourne, Victoria 8001, Australia. E-mail address: ramon.spaaij@vu.edu.au (R. Spaaij). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2017.05.003 1441-3523/© 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Sport Management Review 21 (2018) 25–37 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Sport Management Review journa l homepage : www.e lsevier.com/loca te/smr