Introduction: Implementing strategic plans is a multitasking task that enables organizations to achieve their goals. The purpose of this study is identifying inhibiting factors in the implementation of strategic planning in Iranian sports organizations.
Methods: The method of the present study is content analysis with a qualitative approach. The statistical population of this study consisted of all senior, middle, operational and senior experts of the Ministry of Sports and Youth of Iran, as well as the elites of strategic planning in sports in the country in 2019-2020. The research samples included 13 faculty members of the Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch and senior, middle, operational and senior experts of the Ministry of Sports and Youth of Iran (Tehran), which continued until the saturation of information. Four criteria of credibility, confirmability, transferability and dependability were used to evaluate the validity and reliability of qualitative data.Research data were analyzed by conventional content analysis method.
Results: Research results 5 main themes and 28 sub-themes including: management factors (with 9 sub-themes), factors related to employees (with 6 sub-themes), financial factors (with 2 sub-themes), technical and planning factors (with 7 sub-themes) and political factors (with 4 sub-themes) showed.
Conclusions: Findings showed the existence of 5 main themes. It is suggested that the findings of the present study be used in the implementation of strategic planning in Iranian sports organizations.