Sport builds bridges: integration requires interaction

The study shows that individual actors often play a decisive role. Coaches, club members, or neighbors who actively reach out to refugees make a difference. At the same time, there is a lack of long-term structures to support these encounters. Stura therefore calls for support to be given to clubs - through awareness-raising, training, and cooperation with social institutions.

“Sports clubs often do pioneering work in this area,” she says. “But many can benefit from targeted support to ensure that integration processes are not only successful in the short term, but also sustainable.”

SPORT AS A PLACE OF INTERACTION

In her article, Stura describes how sport is not just physical activity, but also always a social space. People who train together create encounters on an equal footing - regardless of language or origin. This combination of exercise and interaction makes sport a valuable tool for breaking down prejudices and promoting cohesion.

However, Stura does not see this as an automatic solution. “Sport is not a panacea. If it excludes people or reproduces existing inequalities, it can also divide.” How open the structures are designed can be decisive. If clubs see diversity as an enrichment, they can contribute significantly to social cohesion.

In light of her research findings, Stura therefore calls for greater awareness in the host society: “We need to ask ourselves which perceptions of inclusion we have – and how we might learn to be more proactive.”

RESEARCH WITH IMPACT

Stura has been researching the social dimensions of sport for many years - particularly migration, inclusion, and volunteering. In addition to her current publication, she has already published several international articles, including in the Palgrave Handbook of Disability Sport in Europe and in Sports Associations: Status and Perspectives of Research.

Her research is regularly incorporated into courses and practical projects at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol. This gives rise to new approaches to understanding and implementing sport as a tool for social integration. Some of these findings were also presented at the EASM conference in Budapest, where Stura shared her insights in an international context. “Research should always be socially relevant,” she says. “If our findings help people to be more open with each other, then science has served an important purpose.”