Public Administration in the Field of Physical Culture and Sports in Ukraine: Theoretical and Methodological Foundations and Contemporary Challenges

The study established that the field of physical culture and sports represents a complex, multi-level object of governance encompassing mass sport, elite sport, physical education, adaptive and veteran sports, physical rehabilitation, and the development of sports infrastructure. Contemporary scientific approaches to the interpretation of public administration were generalized, and its role in ensuring sectoral development was identified. The regulatory and legal framework governing the sector, including legislative acts and strategic policy documents, was analyzed. The main mechanisms of public administration were identified, namely regulatory and legal, organizational and institutional, economic, information and analytical, and human resource mechanisms. A multi-level system of governance actors was characterized, including legislative and executive authorities, local self-government bodies, sports federations, and specialized institutions. The key challenges affecting the functioning of the system were identified, including insufficient interagency coordination, duplication of responsibilities, shortages of qualified personnel, institutional instability, and limited financial resources. The growing importance of adaptive and veteran sports under martial law conditions was substantiated, along with the need to expand rehabilitation programs and restore sports infrastructure. Comparative analysis of international experience demonstrated the advantages of mixed and partnership-based governance models for the further development of the sector in Ukraine. The effectiveness of governance in the field of physical culture and sports depends on the coordination of stakeholders’ activities, the quality of the regulatory framework, and the system’s capacity to adapt to contemporary challenges. Promising directions for modernization include the digitalization of governance processes, the development of intersectoral cooperation, the improvement of human resource capacity, the expansion of public-private partnership mechanisms, and the implementation of European approaches to sector governance.