‘I want my child to participate in sport, but I have no information about it’ – a study of Ukrainain refugee's parent's perspectives on their children's sport participation in Norway

Participation in organized sport contributes to children's physiological, psychological and social development. The aim of this study was to examine how Ukrainian refugees reflect upon their children's inclusion into sport activities in Norway. The study used an exploratory sequential mixed methods design with interviews followed by a questionnaire survey, where the findings were discussed using Bourdieu's theory of field and habitus. The qualitative analysis, supported by patterns observed in the quantitative data, revealed three main findings: Parents experience a lack of information about local sport activities; parents have a desire for their children to participate in organized sport; parents view sport participation as a tool for integration into the local community and Norwegian society. The findings demonstrate that although parents strongly value sport and view it as an important arena for integration, they struggle to navigate the Norwegian sport system due to limited information, language barriers and unfamiliarity with the voluntary structure that characterizes youth sport. This mismatch between parental habitus and the doxic expectations of the Norwegian sport field creates barriers to participation. The results suggest that municipalities, sport clubs and integration services should collaborate to develop accessible and multilingual information about local sport opportunities. Providing clearer guidance on how voluntary sport is organized, who to contact and what is expected from parents may facilitate participation. Improving communication across sectors and offering structured entry pathways could support refugee families in helping their children engage in organized sport.