The Role of Cultural Intelligence and Conflict Resolution in Predicting Sports Success of Iranian Paralympic Athletes: Presenting a Structural Equation Model

Background and Aim: The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities or intellectual impairments. The current study develops a model of the effect of cultural intelligence on conflict resolution and the success of Iranian Paralympic athletes. Methods: This is a descriptive correlational study. Participants in this study were 124 athletes with disabilities (81 men, 43 women) in 12 sport disciplines that were selected using the convenience sampling method from the participants in the 2018 Asian Paralympic Games (Jakarta) and the 2019 World and Asian Championships, which resulted in a quota for 2020 Paralympic Games (Tokyo). To collect data, the Cultural Intelligence Scale proposed by Ang and Early (2004), Conflict Resolution presented by Weeks (1994), and Fisher (1991), and Sporting Success Questionnaire (2015) of Vaez Mosavi was used. To assess the research model based on the conceptual model, the multivariate regression analysis method and structural equation modeling were used in SPSS23 and AMOS 22 software, respectively. Results: The model of the effect of cultural intelligence on conflict resolution and success of Iranian Paralympic athletes has a good fit. Cultural intelligence has a significant positive effect on conflict resolution ability (p <0.05) and by increasing cultural intelligence, the conflict resolution ability increases in athletes. Additionally, the conflict resolution ability has a significant positive effect on sporting success (P<0.05), and by increasing the conflict resolution ability, sporting success increases in athletes. Conclusion: The conflict resolution ability completely mediates the effect of the cultural intelligence on sporting success, and by increasing cultural intelligence, the conflict resolution ability increases in athletes, so their sporting success increases.