World Refugee Day 2025: How sport can foster inclusion of displaced people in cities and combat hate speech

“Sporting activities have emerged as alternative approaches to integration, countering securitization and criminalization among other dominant narratives against urban refugees. Moreover, sport has helped restore the dignity and humanize the urban refugee not as a threat but rather as a player, coach, and a teammate.”
- Mercy Chepkirui
On World Refugee Day 2025 and every day, we stand in solidarity
World Refugee Day 2025 comes at a time of record displacement. According to UNHCR, more than 123 million people were forcibly displaced by the end of 2024. As conflicts, climate shocks, and persecution continue to force people to flee their homes, it’s not just numbers that are rising—so are the risks of discrimination, marginalization, and hate.
World Refugee Day 2025 calls on us to act in solidarity, not only in words but through concrete action.
What role can sport play in this effort?
Every year, the Sport for Refugees Coalition (SfRC) and International Platform on Sport and Development (sportanddev) run a week of activities dedicated to the intersection of sport and refugees. It provides opportunities for learning, exchange and advocacy on the role of sport in addressing forced displacement, enabling greater coordination and impact.
The Week of Action 2025 focused on two key dimensions of inclusion, highlighting the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of sport and forced displacement:
- Inclusion of displaced people in cities through sport
- Combating hate speech and discrimination in sport
Through a Call for Articles on these themes, the SfRC co-convenors (UNHCR, the Olympic Refuge Foundation, and the Scort Foundation) together with sportanddev gathered valuable insights from practitioners and sport actors both within and beyond the Sport for Refugees Coalition. The recommendations are intended for policymakers, local authorities, sport organisations, and all stakeholders committed to fostering more inclusive environments for displaced populations in, and through sport.
1. Recommendations for the inclusion of displaced people in cities and urban settings
- Encourage the development of sports spaces that are accessible and welcoming to a broad range of users, including displaced populations.
Related article: Building inclusive cities through sport: Supporting refugee youth through community-based recreation
Related article: How Bayine Sports is using the power of play to support African refugee children in Egypt - Consider how existing green and recreational areas can be made more inclusive and serve diverse communities.
Related article: The role of sports in fostering refugee inclusion in urban South Lebanon - Explore ways to integrate inclusion considerations into sport-related policies and funding approaches.
Related article: How has sport changed the lives of displaced people in cities and municipalities? - Look into sustainable models of support that can help maintain and expand sport-based initiatives over time.
- Recommendation on purposefully using football for inclusion, from the Football Association of Ireland’s Evaluation of their Refugee Inclusion programme.
Related article: More than just a game: The role of football in the lives of displaced people - Strengthen connections between sectors—such as sport, education, health, and integration—to broaden the reach and impact of sport initiatives.
Related article: Xico Andebol & Guimarães: A Portuguese case of sport and social inclusion - Create opportunities for diverse community groups, including those with lived experience of displacement, to help shape sport initiatives.
Related article: Table tennis unites Cameroonian refugees and host community in Ogoja
2. Recommendations to address hate speech and discrimination in and through sport
- Encourage policies and resources that support equal access and participation in sport for all, including displaced individuals
Related article: From Stigma to Strength: How skateboarding builds bridges in displaced communities - Share stories and experiences that reflect the contributions and resilience of refugees to help counter misinformation and stereotypes
Related article: From competition to community: How Hope and Dreams Sports Festivals are supporting refugees and fighting discrimination - Support efforts that elevate the voices of athletes who advocate for inclusion and help raise awareness
Related article: Athletes as ambassadors: Reducing hate speech and misinformation about displaced communities - Foster opportunities that bring together diverse groups—such as youth from different backgrounds—to build mutual understanding through sport
Related article: Beyond the Playing Field: Harnessing sport to combat hate speech and discrimination against refugees - Ensure that different community perspectives are reflected throughout the design and delivery of sport-based initiatives
Related article: Breaking barriers, building community through Cyprus-based football event - Strengthen links between sport and other sectors to enhance the reach and impact of inclusion-related work
Related article: REPLAY: Sport and engaging refugees in the city of Rome - Continue building bridges across sectors and communities to advance shared goals around inclusion and social cohesion
Related article: The ball has no borders: Fútbol Más and the inclusion of refugees and displaced people in urban contexts
Sport holds unique potential to connect, empower, and transform. It can strengthen social bonds, combat harmful narratives, and offer young refugees a sense of belonging. But to realise this potential, all actors— local and national governments, NGOs, sport bodies, and communities—must work together, embedding sport into broader strategies for inclusion. Central to these efforts must be the meaningful participation and leadership of people with lived experience of displacement, whose insights are essential to shaping relevant, sustainable, and impactful initiatives.
These recommendations mark the start of coordinated action and collective impact. The Sport for Refugees Coalition remains deeply committed to driving meaningful change, working towards UNHCR’s High-Level Officials Meeting in December 2025, a midpoint interministerial conference that will include a stocktaking on pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum in 2023. The meeting will help define the way forward for the next Global Refugee Forum in 2027.
We are grateful to all the individuals and organizations who contributed their insights through the articles.
View all Week of Action 2025 article submissions
For more information, or to connect with the Sport for Refugees Coalition, please contact us at [email protected].
Photo Credit: IOC/Greg Martin
“On the field, the divisions we take for granted—race, religion, caste, tribe, background, abilities, region, country—begin to feel arbitrary, even foolish. This is not idealism; rather, it is the observable, repeatable alchemy of sports. And in a world where hate speech spreads like wildfire, we have overlooked one of the most effective firebreaks, which I call the simple act of play.”
- Thotchanso Zingyo
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