Sports challenges in the political system of the Iraqi Kurdistan region

Abstract Sport system in different regions of the world is managed differently. This feature has led to the formation of various functions of sports in political situations. The purpose of this study was to explore the sports challenges in the political system of the Kurdistan Region. The researcher used semi-structured interview protocols and action research strategy to collect data from 35 experts in the field of sports policy. Thematic analysis is used to analyze the data. The results show there are nine categories of decision-making authorities, classification system, ultra-sport organization, sports actors, financial support, national and regional competitions, scientific management and research, talent system and media, which includes 3 main themes: the indeterminate of the sport structure, advancing of sports in personalized way and instrumental use of sport system by political parties were determination of sport in the political system of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Based on the results of the research, it can be argued that the challenges of sports in the political system of Kurdistan region are very complex and extensive. Accordingly, the proposed research framework can be helpful for decision makers to have a systematic and thorough understanding of these challenges.Keywords: sport system, political problems, sport policy, Iraqi Kurdistan region