摘要：The main objective of this study is examining the causes of underdevelopment of professional sports in theWest Azerbaijan province (Iran) and offering strategies for its improvement. Research methodology wasdescriptive-survey. The statistical population included the chairmen and deputies of the General Office of WAProvince Youth and Sport and the towns’ offices, presidents and secretaries of the sports bodies, professorsof sports management and national coaches of the WA Province. Considering the number of the population,research statistical sample included all the above-mentioned people and the final number of the participantsas the statistical population was 85. Data was collected through the researcher’s questionnaire, verified byexperts, and its reliability measured at 0/83 by Cronbach's test. Descriptive statistical tests, the One-Samplet-Test and the Friedman test were applied for analyzing the data. The results of the one-sample t-testshowed that the human, financial and legal resources as well as the sports equipment required forprofessional sports in West Azerbaijan Province are in unfavorable and inappropriate conditions. Afteridentifying the factors influencing the underdevelopment of professional sports in WA province, the results ofFriedman test confirmed that financial and human resources and the equipment required for professionalsports are respectively the main elements affecting the underdevelopment of professional sports in WestAzerbaijan province.
关键词：development; professional sports; West Azerbaijan (Iran)
