MODEL OF COMMERCIALIZATION OF AESTHETIC SPORTS IN RUSSIAN CONDITIONS ON THE EXAMPLE OF FDSARR (BALLROOM DANCE SPORT)

Purpose of the study: to substantiate and describe a digital ecosystem model for the Russian DanceSport and Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll Federation (RDSARR) in the discipline of ballroom dancing as a basis for the commercialization of aesthetic sports in Russia, focused on overcoming the “access gap” between internal system participants and the external audience.

Methods and organization of the study. The theoretical and methodological framework was based on systemic and institutional approaches, which made it possible to consider RDSARR as a complex organizational system with its own infrastructure of data, events and financial flows. The study employed analysis of regulatory documents and federation reports, synthesis of Russian and international publications on sport commercialization and digital transformation, as well as structural and functional analysis of the current digital services of RDSARR. On the basis of the obtained data, a five‑layer architecture of the digital ecosystem was developed and adapted, aimed at transforming internal information resources into open commercial products.

Results and discussion. It was found that the weak commercialization of ballroom dancing in the Russian context is caused not by a lack of resources, events or digital platforms, but by infrastructural closedness and the focus of existing digital solutions mainly on internal participants of the competition process. The study shows that the current information system of RDSARR effectively supports the registration of athletes, judges and competitions, but does not provide external users with transparent access to information on events, ticketing products and media content, thus forming an “access gap”. 

The proposed five‑layer architecture of the digital ecosystem describes the transition from closed internal data to a range of commercial products (tickets, broadcasts, partnership packages, digital engagement services) integrated into a unified user journey. It is substantiated that reorienting the RDSARR infrastructure towards the external user and applying a platform‑based approach make it possible to increase the transparency of entry for new audiences, consolidate financial flows and expand the share of sustainable digital revenues.

Conclusion. The impact of the implemented digital ecosystem model on the commercialization of aesthetic sports in the Russian context is determined by the extent to which its architecture reorients the existing RDSARR infrastructure from servicing internal processes to creating value for the external user and monetizing engagement. The implementation of the proposed model helps to overcome the “access gap”, increase the capitalization of the event and organizational potential of DanceSport, and turn the existing resource base of RDSARR into a full‑fledged market product.

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