Beyond the Playing Field: Harnessing sport to combat hate speech and discrimination against refugees

by Hani Al Rawashdeh

As digital platforms amplify false narratives and political actors exploit xenophobia for gain, sport emerges as a powerful yet underutilized tool to counter these harmful trends. Through intentional programming and strategic implementation, sport can dismantle stereotypes, foster meaningful connections, and transform hostile narratives into stories of shared humanity.

The escalating crisis of refugee discrimination

Misinformation about refugees is surging globally, undermining social cohesion and weakening democratic processes. A 2025 report from the Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law highlights how refugees have become unfairly targeted scapegoats, blamed without evidence for societal challenges ranging from housing shortages to inflation. This pattern reflects a broader global trend where xenophobic rhetoric gains traction through digital platforms that make misinformation harder to contain. The consequences are severe. While refugees bear the harshest impacts through discrimination, social exclusion, and punitive policies, the harm extends to society. When public discourse is based on false information, it leads to flawed laws, poor policymaking, and weakened democratic institutions. The erosion of truth threatens the foundations of peace and prosperity that multicultural societies have built.

This escalation in hate speech represents what researchers have termed "mundane violence" – harmful actions that, despite the absence of mass killings, strip vulnerable populations of their rights and livelihoods. The digital acceleration of these narratives creates a particularly dangerous environment, with AI-generated misinformation adding fuel to existing prejudices.

Sport as a bridge across divides

In a landscape marked by deeply ingrained cultural and social differences, sport emerges as a uniquely potent tool for overcoming division. Unlike formal dialogue—which can sometimes feel forced or overly politicized—sporting activities naturally foster environments ripe for genuine interaction among diverse groups. In Accra, community sports have demonstrated how shared experiences and mutual objectives can help break down the barriers that fuel discrimination.

Local sporting events, especially football matches, serve as a dynamic forum for young people to engage with one another beyond stereotypes. By playing together, participants not only forge friendships but also immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of each other’s traditions and values. These interactions are crucial for challenging entrenched narratives of separation and prejudice.

Moreover, community sports initiatives in Accra illustrate how collective participation can drive social cohesion. When individuals collaborate on the field—working toward common goals and celebrating victories together—the resulting bonds of trust and camaraderie extend far beyond the game. This organic process of connection underlines the transformative power of sport in uniting communities and bridging societal divides.

Effective strategies for combating discrimination through sport

Create counter-narratives through visibility

Sport programs can strategically increase the visibility of refugee athletes, showcasing their talents, resilience, and contributions. By highlighting success stories—not as exceptions but as representative examples—sport initiatives challenge the dominant narratives that frame refugees as threats or burdens.

Effective implementation involves:

• Partnering with media to feature refugee athletes in positive, dignified portrayals
• Creating platforms for refugees to share their own stories through sport
• Documenting and amplifying the positive community impact of inclusive sport initiatives

Design programs for meaningful contact

Not all sport programming automatically reduces prejudice. Research shows that contact between groups is most effective at reducing discrimination when it involves equal status, common goals, cooperation rather than competition, and institutional support.

Successful initiatives should:

• Ensure mixed teams with balanced representation
• Focus on collaborative activities alongside competitive ones
• Create structured opportunities for cultural exchange during and after sporting events
• Involve community leaders and institutions to legitimize the integration efforts

Equip participants as anti-discrimination advocates

Sport programs can move beyond simply bringing diverse groups together by actively equipping participants to recognize and counter hate speech and discrimination. This transforms passive participants into active agents of positive change within their communities.

Key components include:

• Incorporating workshops on identifying misinformation and hate speech
• Teaching concrete skills for respectful intervention when witnessing discrimination
• Training refugee and host community youth as peer educators
• Developing youth-led campaigns that leverage sport events as platforms

Scaling impact: from local success to systemic change

While localized sport initiatives demonstrate powerful impact, addressing the global challenge of discrimination against refugees requires strategies for scaling and sustainability. The most successful approaches combine three elements:

• Community ownership: Programs must be co-designed with refugee communities rather than imposed from outside. The Kakuma example shows how locally led initiatives build sustainable impact by addressing contextually specific tensions.
• Institutional integration: Sport-based anti-discrimination efforts achieve greater scale when integrated into existing systems—schools, community centres, youth clubs, and refugee assistance programs—rather than operating as isolated initiatives.
• Evidence-based advocacy: Sport organizations must document impact through rigorous evaluation, using this evidence to advocate for policy changes that address structural discrimination against refugees.

Recommendations for practitioners

To maximize sport's potential in combating hate speech and discrimination against refugees:

• Partner with digital literacy organizations to teach participants to identify and counter online misinformation about refugees
• Integrate refugee and host community narratives throughout program design, implementation, and evaluation
• Forge multi-sector collaborations that connect sport initiatives with media, legal aid organizations, and policy advocacy groups working on refugee rights
• Develop context-specific indicators to measure changes in attitudes, behaviours, and institutional practices relating to discrimination

Sport alone cannot solve the complex challenges of displacement and discrimination. However, when implemented with intention and connected to broader efforts for systemic change, it offers a powerful platform for transforming harmful narratives and building more inclusive communities.

The growing global movement using sport to support refugees demonstrates that another narrative is possible—one that celebrates our shared humanity rather than exploits our fears and differences. The question is not whether sport can combat hate speech and discrimination against refugees, but whether we will fully harness its potential to do so.

About the author

Hani Al Rawashdeh. Policy and Advocacy Specialist at Generations For Peace (GFP), where he designs and promotes sport-based initiatives to foster peace, transform conflict, and strengthen communities impacted by displacement. His work integrates sport as a catalyst for mental health and psychosocial support, child protection, and violence prevention, addressing critical needs in fragile settings.

Banner image: Generations for Peace | Caption: 35 volunteers from 9 countries gathered at the 2018 Generations For Peace Samsung Advanced Training for five dynamic days of learning.