THE ROLE OF SPORT IN THE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS

Abstract

The topic of this paper is highly relevant and of great importance. There is a large number of immigrants worldwide, particularly in Europe, and it is necessary to identify mechanisms that will ensure their successful adaptation to the society into which they have immigrated, both for their own benefit and psychological well-being and for the benefit of society as a whole, including legal certainty and the rule of law. Therefore, this topic requires a multidisciplinary approach, and the authors of this paper are experts in the fields of psychology and law. The aim of the paper is to examine whether and to what extent sport can contribute to the integration of migrants into the host society, particularly in terms of their social inclusion, connection with the local community, reduction of social distance, and development of a sense of belonging. The paper analyzes the psychological role of sport in the integration of migrants, drawing on European research as well as specific Croatian examples, such as Filipino basketball and Indian cricket initiatives, which foster social connectedness, resilience, and cultural adaptation. Various scientific methods have been applied in the paper, particularly the inductive and deductive methods; the methods of analysis and synthesis, abstraction and concretization, generalization and specialization; the methods of proof and refutation, classification, and description; as well as the historical, compilation, and comparative methods. The paper concludes with findings that confirm the proposed hypothesis.