Sport Supporters and Playful Behaviour at Events: Ski Flying In Planica

Abstract

n this study, we investigate the playful behaviour among ski flying supporters at the World Cup final in Planica, Slovenia, in 2022. Collected data consisted of interviews and observations as we travelled with a group of Norwegian supporters. In addition, we also interviewed supporters from four other European countries together with numerous informal talks with people attending the event. Using Bakhtin’s framework of the carnivalesque, findings show three major themes: transgressions from everyday life; the location of the support activities; and the suppression of structure. Together, these themes of playful behaviour and break away from the daily routines together with friends, shed light on how attending sport events contribute to supporter well-being at an individual level, which in turn can serve as catalyst for social cohesion and inclusion, with a larger societal impact.