Resumen de Sport And Integration Into Multicultural Teams: The Cohesion Relationship Between National And Cultural Identity
The aim of this research was to investigate the role of sports participation in the socializationof people of different cultural backgrounds. The main goal of modern societies is the acceptance of cultur-al diversity and the promotion of human rights. All this can also be achieved through sport. An importantfactor for social cohesion and development, is that in today’s era with migration and the arrival of refu-gees in various European countries, the need for integration of these populations has been created. Sportfunctions as a means for the integration of immigrants since as a recognized social phenomenon, it affectsthe processes of socialization and integration of people from different cultural backgrounds, as it is oftendescribed as an environment of equal opportunities. It can make a positive contribution to the formationof migrants’ identities and influence social integration processes. Sport undoubtedly plays an importantrole in modern society and can contribute to various areas of social life. It increases the positive effectsof group participation while promoting respect and helping to assimilate migrants for participation insports activities and recreation, with the main goal of social inclusion. Encouraging participation in sportsactivities, enhances the sense of common identity, while providing opportunities for social interactionand stimulating relationships between its members. Intercultural education, on the other hand, focuseson acceptance of difference, recognition of cultural identity and respect, while it seeks to prevent the for-mation of stereotypes and prejudices. In this research, the concept of national and cultural identity is alsodescribed, through the review of the relevant literature. More specifically, four dimensions of nationalidentity are distinguished: Separation, Integration, Assimilation and finally Marginalization.The researchcarried out shows remarkable results and offers interesting assessments on the relationship between sportand ethical development. The relationship between team cohesion and ethnic-cultural identity showedthat team membership pushes member athletes to think more collectively about the common good. Next,the evidence concerning the social and ethical implications of sports participation is examined, focusingon social inclusion and social exclusion. Social exclusion comes in various forms, such as lack of accessto power, knowledge, services. Finally, an attempt was made to explain the link between sports participa-tion in general, and cohesion in particular, with national and cultural identity.
