Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Much of the current literature in the field of sport for development (SfD) either focusses on conceptualizing sport for development or examines the agencies that operate in this sector. Through studies of SfD organizations, existing literature has provided valuable insights about the management potential, and limits, of SfD. Yet, by and large, much of the SfD research appears to neglect the idea that sport may play a role in individual or community development without much, or any, organizational involvement. One epistemic tactic for providing new insights about relationships between development and sport would be to shift the focus away from the organizations that interact with athletes and concentrate on athletes themselves. For instance, it is highly plausible that, during a migrant’s journey, there may be many circumstances where accessing organized sport may be impractical or impossible. But this paper will demonstrate that sport still plays important roles in the migrant’s lives. By examining the stories migrants tell about the journey, new perspectives on how a frequently marginalized group of individuals interact with sport will be proposed.