[Note: See the “Technology and spectators” topic in the SPECIAL FOCUS section. –-Matthew]

Call for Papers:

Seventeenth International Conference on Sport and Society
The annual meeting of the Sport & Society Research Network
Special Focus: “Innovation, Transformation, Contestation: Can Sport Keep Up with Society’s Future?”
June 11–12, 2026
University of Inland Norway, Lillehammer Campus, Norway and Online(asynchronous content)
https://sportandsociety.com/2026-conference/call-for-papers

Deadlines for submission of proposals: March 10, 2026 (Regular; May 11, 2026 (Late)

We invite you to join us for the Seventeenth International Conference on Sport & Society, the annual meeting of the Sport & Society Research Network, taking place 11–12 June 2026 in Lillehammer, Norway and online, in partnership with our host institution, the University of Inland Norway, with the support of the Lillehammer Olympic and Paralympic Studies Center (LOSC) and the Norwegian Olympic Museum. The Network brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, athletes, educators, and cultural leaders who examine the cultural, political, social, organizational, and economic relationships of sport to society.

SPECIAL FOCUS

In 2026, our special focus “Innovation, Transformation, Contestation: Can Sport Keep Up with Society’s Future?” invites contributors to explore how the future of sport hinges on its ability to respond to accelerating societal change. As ecological instability, technological acceleration, political fragmentation, and shifting social norms reshape the world, sport finds itself at a crossroads: can existing systems adapt, or are long-standing organizational structures, legal frameworks, cultural assumptions, and commercial models being outpaced by transformation?

This year’s focus encourages interdisciplinary engagement across several dimensions.

• Legal perspectives: In an era of biometric data, commercial sponsorships, and AI-driven performance tracking, who holds rights over sport and its participants? This perspective examines the shifting boundaries of ownership, consent, and legal personhood in sport.
• Organizational aspects: re current sport governing bodies equipped to respond to global challenges such as climate justice, human rights, and digital transformation? This perspective questions whether traditional structures are capable of leading sport through the societal transformations ahead.
• Socio-cultural meanings: How do changing understandings of gender, race, and cultural identity contest traditional norms inscribed on athletes and leisure sport participants?
• Historical legacies: Sport history reveals long-standing strategies of bodily control—from gender testing to bio-political surveillance. What can we learn from historical perspectives to reimagine sport’s future without replicating past harms?
• Environmental justice: As climate change redefines where and how sport can be played, whose communities are prioritized or displaced in the process? This perspective addresses the spatial politics of infrastructure, access, and environmental responsibility in sport’s global expansion.
• Technology and spectators: Immersive technology are reshaping spectatorship and participation. How do these changes alter the athlete–audience relationship, and who benefits from the transformation of sport into a digital spectacle?

Alongside this Special Focus, the conference welcomes proposals addressing the Network’s annual themes:

Sporting Cultures & Identities; Sport & Health; Sports Education; and Sports Management & Commercialization.

KNOWLEDGE EXPERIENCE AND FORMAT

The conference is organised as a hybrid knowledge experience, integrating in-person and online participation into a unified scholarly environment. All accepted proposals become Presentation Pages on CGScholar Event (KX), where presenters upload abstracts, media, and reflections, and where delegates engage in discussion before, during, and after the conference.

In-person sessions, live online presentations, and asynchronous contributions are woven together into a single integrated program. Regardless of participation mode, delegates have access to the full schedule, session media, and an expanding digital archive. Across all formats, the emphasis is on reciprocal, human-scale engagement—conversation, reflection, and collaborative inquiry rather than one-way presentation.

PUBLICATION PATHWAYS

Presenters are invited to develop their work for possible publication in The International Journal of Sport and Society, which examines game logics, body logics, aesthetic logics, and organizational logics in sport, and explores issues of identity, health, fair play, media representation, and social participation. Presenters may also propose longer-form works for the Sport & Society Book Imprint, which publishes monographs and edited collections that advance scholarship on sport’s cultural, economic, organizational, and societal dimensions. Both outlets offer traditional and Open Access publication pathways.

MEMBERSHIP AND COMMUNITY

We welcome new and returning members to the Sport & Society Research Network. By purchasing a Presenter Pass, you automatically become—or renew as—a Network Member for the year, gaining access to our online Knowledge Experience, a shared scholarly environment that connects the full cycle of our work: preparation, presentation, reflection, and publication. Members can access conference updates, session media, calls for papers, program archives, and journal and book content, and contribute their own work through peer-facilitated community review.

Membership is also activated through our in-person conferences and events, where delegates meet host partners, exchange ideas, and collaborate with global colleagues. Membership sustains the Research Network, ensuring continued access to its programs, archives, journals, and books—and maintaining a community where belonging is defined by contribution and care.

PROPOSAL AND REGISTRATION PERIODS

Proposals are accepted from launch until one month prior to the conference start date. The dates below indicate the opening of both the proposal submission and registration periods.

Proposal Periods:
(Proposals will be reviewed within two to four weeks of submission)

Early: Launch to 10 November (25)
Regular: 11 November (25) to 10 March (26)
Late: 11 March (26) to 11 May (26)

Registration Periods:
(The digital media deadline is one week before the conference)

Early: Launch to 10 December (25)
Regular: 11 December (25) to 10 May (26)
Late: 11 May (26) to 11 June (26)

JOIN US

We warmly invite you to submit a proposal and to join us—either in Lillehammer or online—for this year’s annual meeting of the Sport & Society Research Network. Together, we will explore how innovation, transformation, and contestation are reshaping the future of sport—and how sport, in turn, shapes the future of society.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jörg Krieger, Research Network Chair, Aarhus University, Denmark & University of Inland Norway, Norway
Dr. Svein Erik Nordhagen, Local Conference Committee, University of Inland Norway, Norway
Dr. Trine Løvold Syversen, Local Conference Committee, University of Inland Norway, Norway
Dr. Phillip Kalantzis-Cope, Chief Social Scientist, Common Ground Research Networks, United States of America

Enquiries: support@cgnetworks.org