ISCA AWARDS 2025: Global IRTS
Recognising Impact, Driving Change in the Field of Integration of Refugees through Sport
29 October 2025 Copenhagen
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WINNERS
WINNERS ISCA AWARDS 2025: Global IRTS
Category 1: IRTS & Community
Sanctuary Runners
Country
Ireland
Continent
Europe
About the organization
Sanctuary Runners is a solidarity-through-sport movement founded in Ireland in 2018. Through running, walking – and sometimes sea-swimming – it brings together whole communities, especially refugees and people seeking asylum. Since the first run, over 40,000 people have taken part, about a third of them seeking international protection. The model is about doing things with, not for, refugees. Today, Sanctuary Runners has 40 groups across Ireland, and in 2024 the movement launched Sanctuary Runners GB in the UK.
Category 2: IRTS & Mental Health
Palestine Sports for Life
Country
Ramallah, Palestine
Continent
Asia
About the organization
The Gaza Mental Health Program by PS4L uses sport as a transformative tool to support the mental well-being of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons, especially children and youth affected by the ongoing war in Gaza. Through trauma-sensitive games, life skills, and psychosocial support, the programme creates safe spaces for healing, expression, and relief from the stress of conflict. Led by trained coaches and counsellors, it restores a sense of everyday life and brings hope in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Category 3: Refugee-led initiatives
ACSA Cultural & Sport Association (ACSA)
Country
New Westminster, BC, Canada
Continent
North America
About the organization
The ACSA Cultural & Sport Association is a refugee- and women-led non-profit based in Canada. Since 2014, it has supported more than 3,400 refugees and newcomers through sport and entrepreneurship, creating safe spaces for women and youth to connect, heal, and build confidence. From women-only sport to youth mentoring and business training, its programmes turn lived refugee experience into opportunities for integration, resilience, and leadership.
Category 4: Role model (Citizen’s Choice)
Arabinrin Aderonke
FAME
Country
Nigeria
Continent
Africa
About
Arabinrin Aderonke is a passionate and fearless leader using media, policy, and sports to drive real change. Through her work at FAME Foundation, she has reached girls in IDP camps, slums, and rural communities using football as a tool to build confidence, teach life skills, and promote inclusion. She has stood up for the rights of female athletes, influenced national conversations on gender equality, and built programs that give women and girls a voice. Her work continues to open doors for those who need it the most.
ISCA AWARDS 2025: Global IRTS
The number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide continues to rise, making refugee integration a growing global challenge. Finding ways to support refugees and build more welcoming communities in their host countries is more important than ever.
Over the past decade, Integration of Refugees Through Sport (IRTS) has become a significant field, uniting organisations, practitioners, and experts around the world.
To support these efforts, ISCA established the IRTS Networking Platform and Hub, which now links six international initiatives, including Global IRTS (2023–2025). The project is coming to an end, but the Global IRTS Awards provide an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the outstanding work of the organisations and individuals making a real difference in this field.
ISCA Global IRTS Awards 2025 – Recognising Impact, Driving Change
The ISCA Global IRTS Awards 2025 celebrate the power of sport in the integration of refugees and the building of more inclusive communities. Around the world, many organisations and individuals work hard to make a difference, but their efforts often go unseen. In 2025, we are shining a spotlight on the most impactful projects and individuals leading the way in refugee integration through sport.
The 2025 Awards will recognise great work in the following categories:
IRTS & Community
IRTS & Mental Health
Refugee-Led Initiatives
IRTS Role Model (Citizens’ Choice)
#MOVINGPEOPLE
ISCA’s Global IRTS Awards was presented in four categories in 2025:
Category 1: IRTS & Community
This category celebrates initiatives that bring people together through sport and physical activity, strengthening bonds, fostering belonging, and creating inclusive spaces where everyone feels valued. At its core, it’s about community—collaboration, connection, and shared joy.
Category 2: IRTS & Mental Health
This category recognises programmes that use sport and physical activity to support mental well-being, build resilience, and empower participants to thrive. These initiatives highlight the vital role of movement in promoting balance and healthier lives.
Category 3: Refugee-led initiatives
This category celebrates the courage and creativity of refugees who lead initiatives to rebuild lives and promote inclusion through sport. Their work demonstrates resilience and the power to create new opportunities for themselves and their communities, proving that sport is a universal language of hope and connection.
Category 4: Role models in IRTS (citizens' choice)
This category shines a spotlight on individuals whose leadership and dedication have driven meaningful change in inclusion through sport and recreation. These role models prove that sport is a universal language—one that uplifts communities and creates lasting impact.
sharing practical,
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theory or policy paper.
Saska Benedicic TOMAT
Head of Projects
#MOVINGPEOPLE
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Jacob SCHOUENBORG
ISCA Secretary General
