Migration and meaning: an exploration of elite refugee athletes’ transitions into the Canadian sports system

The purpose of this research was to explore 14 elite refugee athletes’ experiences transitioning the Canadian sports system and examine social contexts that enabled constrained meaning, a psychological mechanism facilitates adaptive cultural transitions. Framed within critical realism, arts-based conversational interviews were undertaken with athletes. Through reflexive thematic analysis Viktor Frankl’s theory four themes (feelings hope empowerment, environmental challenges adaptations, despair, support) created trace fluctuations meaning throughout transitions into their new systems. results are presented through single polyphonic vignette highlight contrast how interacting contextual factors time sport system, support, structure receiving athletes find experiences. manuscript provides an initial immersion which may be used by psychology practitioners (SPPs) inform meaning-based interventions encourages such connect values present in lives.