Identification and Prioritization of Female Canoeing Athlete's Problems in Iran

The purpose of this research work was to identify and prioritize the female canoeing athlete’s problems in Iran.
The research method implemented was descriptive-survey. The research sample was equal to the statistical population and consisted of 160 female canoeing athletes from Iran in the national level, and 150 athletes (%93.75) participated in the study. After a literature review and interviews with elite athletes and coaches, a researcher-made questionnaire was prepared. This questionnaire contained 68 questions on five-point Likert value, and the content and face validity was confirmed by the viewpoints of 23 physical education specialists, elite athletes, and experts. The internal consistency coefficient of the questionnaire was confirmed using the Cronbach's alpha of correlation (α 0.85). Factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to determine the dimensions of the questionnaire and prioritize the athletes’ problems.
In this study, seven problems with %41.76 of variance were identified: managerial problems, personal problems, facility and job support problems, family problems, technical problems, economic problems, and social & media problems. The facility and business support problems (3.98 ± 0.59), management problems (3.81 ± 0.64), and the technical problems (3.21 ± 0.69) were in priority.
According to the results obtained, it seems that opportunities and job support and infrastructure could be helpful in solving the problems of this sport in Iran.