The modernization process in Brazilian National Olympic Federations

National Sport Organizations are increasingly expected to modernize their management practices and comply with governance principles. This research developed, validated, and applied a questionnaire to assess the modernization process of Brazilian Olympic NSO’s. The first stage established the components of modernization based on a review of academic literature. Next, these components were used to create a questionnaire to audit Brazil’s 35 Olympic NSO’s. Data collection involved gathering and analysing material from organizational policies, strategies, and websites. Results suggest that most Brazilian Olympic NSO’s have a moderate - weak adherence to modernization aspects of management. NSOs that present a high stage of modernization tend to present better practices of governance. In Brazil, it appears that the government and Brazilian Olympic Committee are sources of pressure for NSO’s to modernize their management and governance.