THE INTEGRATIVE ROLE OF CULTURE IN SPORT DEVELOPMENT

Competitive sports are based on an elitist system which is built upon the autonomy of the subject (De Tocqueville, Weber, Boudon). This feature is deeply-rooted in the imagination of humankind with degrees varying from one society to another (Hofstede, 1994). This author has identified four cultural dimensions. We retain one dimension, namely distance with respect to power. Subjects tend to accept submission if authoritarian influence comes from a famous person. With reference to this dimension, the experimental protocol proposes to students a scenario where they are called to respond to this command mode. The obtained results showed no significant differences between the estimated performance and the actual performance. We propose to complete the model of Hofstede by introducing a dimension illustrating the specificity of the Arab-Muslim culture. It is a culture of dignity where respect for authority, is associated with an affirmation of the equality of humans (Zghal, 1994).