Defense of José Carlos Novais Lima's doctoral thesis on the practical implementation of ethics in sports organizations

The thesis assesses the «Bandera de la Ética» as a tool to establish an effective ethical culture in sports organizations.

José Carlos Novais Lima, a student in the PhD Programme in Sports Sciences at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, analyzes in this thesis the extent to which ethics serves as a genuine reference point for organizations carrying out sports activities, providing empirical evidence on how promoting values and the sporting ethos can contribute to character development, particularly among youth, and social cohesion. Furthermore, it examines the necessity of establishing practical and systematic mechanisms to safeguard and promote these principles.

The project displays a clear applied focus by framing sport as an ideal arena for ethical reflection in the face of contemporary challenges, dilemmas, and systemic issues, approaching it as a vital educational tool. The research centers on the study of the Portuguese «Bandera de la Ética» programme, conceived as a catalyst for institutional initiatives aimed at fostering favorable environments for behavioral shifts and strengthening community values across sports management and practice.

The doctoral research established as primary objectives determining whether ethics functions effectively as a guiding framework for sports entities and assessing whether the «Bandera de la Ética» can constitute a valid tool to promote values, cultivate ethical culture, and drive institutional and behavioral change within organizations. To address these questions, Novais Lima carried out an empirical study designed to verify the achievement of the programme's ethical aims and measure its practical effectiveness in establishing good practices across sports governing bodies. The thesis, entitled La implementación práctica de la ética en el deporte: “Bandera de la Ética”, un método posible para mejorar la cultura ética en una organización deportiva, was supervised by Dr. José Luis Pérez Triviño and tutored by Dr. Pere Ortín Àngel. The defense took place on Friday, July 24 at 11:00 AM in the Carles Perelló Hall of the Doctoral School at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.