Can the credibility of global sport organizations be restored? A case study of the athletics integrity unit

Abstract

This paper explores how the credibility of global sport organizations can be renegotiated in a post-scandal context. It draws on a dramaturgical interpretation of social performance and frame analysis to analyze how the Athletics Integrity Unit's first years of operation were perceived by its media audience. The results demonstrate that frame consistency, empirical credibility, and the credibility of the frame articulators contributed to the construction of credibility. Besides, transparency and accountability helped to align the athletics authorities’ strategic self-framing with the frames used by external stakeholders. Through the social production of its own performance, the Unit could escape the reputation stigma that has discredited other federations and sport organizations.