The taz has published an interview with Lara Kronenbitter on the results of the research project "Racism and anti-racism in club-organised sport". The interview can be read here (https://taz.de/Soziologin-ueber-Rassismus-im-Sport/!6146943/). The final report can be viewed here. (02/2026)

The Süddeutsche Zeitung reports on the results of the research project "Racism and anti-racism in club-organised sport". The article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung can be read here. The final report can be viewed here. (12/2025)

On 18 November 2020, Helge Lindh (SPD), member of the Bundestag for the Wuppertal constituency, visited the Department of Sport Sociology. Together with Tina Nobis and Alessa Heimburger, they discussed the results of the department's current and completed research projects as well as the recently published study on racism and criticism of racism in club sport. (11/2025)

The final report “Racism and Criticism of Racism in Club-Organised Sport” by Alessa Heimburger, Lara Kronenbitter, Priscillia Musoh Manjoh, Franziska Storm, and Tina Nobis summarises the results of two empirical studies conducted as part of the research project “Racism and Antiracism in Club-Organised Sport.” The studies examined how racism manifests itself in club-organised sport, what forms racism takes in club-organised sport, and what approaches exist for criticising racism in club-organised sport. Based on the results, a need for action was formulated. Click here to access the final report. Click here for the press release. (10/2025)

Sophia Aalders and Tina Nobis, together with Ilse Hartmann-Tews and Maike Dernbach (German Sport University Cologne), have written a publication on racism in elite sport, which has now been published in the anthology ‘Diversity and Sport. Intersectional Perspectives in Sport Science Gender and Diversity Research’ (edited by Sandra Günter and Annika Schwark). The publication can be accessed here. (09/2025)

Tina Nobis has joined the International Network for Research in Sports and Migration Issues. The network aims to strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation in the field of sport-related migration research. (04/2025)

On July 14, 2025, Mahima Rai, Sophia Aalders, Lara Kronenbitter, and Tina Nobis participated in the concluding consultation workshop co-organized with project partner KICKFAIR in Berlin. This third and final workshop of the series supported the research project “Changing Perspectives - Shaping Belonging”.

Mahima Rai presented findings of the study on youth belonging in sports contexts. (July 2025)

On June 13, 2025, Mahima Rai and Alessa Heimburger held a lecture at the 8th International Sport and Discrimination Conference at the German Sport University of Cologne.

Mahima Rai presented findings from an ethnographic study that examines how young people experience and negotiate belonging in school sport contexts across Germany. Preliminary qualitative analysis revealed how youth navigate complex power structures while creating spaces of belonging. This study is part of the project "Changing Perspectives - Shaping Belonging”. Learn more about the project: https://www.sportsoziologie.uni-wuppertal.de/de/forschung/perspektiven-veraendern-belonging-gestalten/.

Alessa Heimburger presented the initial findings from the two empirical surveys conducted as part of the project “Racism and Anti-Racism in Club-Organised Sport.” The presentation focused on white privileges and the impact of white sports structures on the everyday lives of athletes affected by racism in club-organized sport in Germany. (06/2025)

The scientific article ‘An experimental test of “racist stacking” in football’ was written by Marjorie Berns (lead author/University of Osnabrück), Luisa Liekefett (University of Osnabrück), Lara Kronenbitter, Tina Nobis and Julia Becker (University of Osnabrück). The article presents and discusses the results of experimental studies on the stacking phenomenon (= unequal distribution of playing positions in team sports based on racist attributions). The article is available here. If you are interested, we will be happy to provide you with a copy of the publication. (06/2025)

As part of the research project “Racism and Anti-Racism in Club-Organised Sport”, a consultation workshop took place on June 5, 2025. Numerous stakeholders from club-organized sports and/or anti-racism work were consulted in the workshop. We would like to thank all participants for their feedback and stimulating discussions about our research. (06/2025)

At the invitation of the Bavarian State Sports Association, Lara Kronenbitter gave a presentation on “Structural Racism and Criticism of Racism in Sport” at the “Integration through Sport” expert forum in Munich on May 17, 2025, and joined Karl Straub, Gudrun Brendel-Fischer, Ayla Inan, and Hamed Ktari on the topic of belonging and non-belonging in sport as part of a panel discussion. (05/2025)

Lara Kronenbitter and Sophia Aalders have been appointed to the scientific advisory board for the monitoring of the study “Experiences of Discrimination in Germany” commissioned by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency. The advisory board will accompany the study from the conception of the questionnaire to the evaluation of the results until the end of 2026. (05/2025)

The working paper ‘Racism in Sport – Insights and Additions to the Racist Stacking Phenomenon’ by Lara Kronenbitter, Tina Nobis, Marjorie Berns and Julia Becker is dedicated to the phenomenon of racist stacking in three sub-studies. It examines the unequal distribution of playing positions along racist attributions in the women's Bundesliga and with the help of two experimental studies.

The results from the three sub-studies indicate that considering sport in the context of research on racism is relevant. This is because it becomes clear that biological imaginations are not a relic of the last century, but that these racist images remain effective to this day. (03/2025)

Alessa Heimburger has written the article ‘Strong is the new skinny?’ A look at the fitness influencer discourse against the backdrop of post-feminism. The article was published in the book Sport and Feminism. Sociopolitical gender debates from the fin de siècle to the present day (editors Petra Sturm & Georg Spitaler), which appeared in February 2025. (02/2025)

On January 30, 2025, Lara Kronenbitter, Sophia Aalders, and Mahima Rai participated in the second consultation workshop organized by KICKFAIR in Berlin.

Mahima Rai presented first impressions from the ethnographic fieldwork conducted for the research project “Perspektiven verändern - Belonging gestalten” (Changing Perspectives - Shaping Belonging). The presentation sparked valuable discussions with representatives from leading foundations and organizations, including: Sandra Wille (Robert Bosch Stiftung); Nadine Seddig und Thea Steder (DFL Stiftung); Jörg Knüfken (Changewriters); Nina Middlekamp (Teach First); Laura Haverkamp (alv Stiftung); Ursula Cjestej (Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung); Anne Schweppenhäuser (C!cero); Ulf Matysiak (Beisheim Stiftung); Christof Kürschner (Schulamt Brandenburg).

The exchange facilitated important insights for the ongoing discussion on creating inclusive spaces in youth sports. (01/2025)

At the invitation of the Brandenburg Sports Youth, Tina Nobis gave a keynote speech on 9 November 2024 on the topic of ‘Racism and anti-racism in club-organized sport’. The speech was given as part of the symposium ‘Integration through Sport’. The event was accompanied by artistic contributions from Irina Fedorova. (11/2024)

Sophia Aalders (BUW), Maike Dernbach (German Sport University Cologne), Tina Nobis (BUW) and Ilse Hartmann-Tews (German Sport University Cologne) presented a paper entitled “Racism in top sports - Exploring the perception of BIPoC athletes and managers in the federal professional associations” at the 28th annual conference of the dvs Commission “Gender and Diversity Research” on November 8, 2024 in Hanover. (11/2024)

At the 28th annual conference of the dvs Commission on Gender and Diversity Research on 7 November 2024 in Hanover, Lara Kronenbitter and Tina Nobis gave a presentation on ‘Knowledge Production on Racism and Sport – A Scoping Review of the Phenomenon of Racist Stacking’. (11/2024)

Annika Schwark (Leibniz University Hannover) was a guest at the colloquium in August. She presented findings from her doctoral project on the topic of ‘Diverse Leadership – Diverse Opportunities? An Intersectional Organisational Analysis Using the Example of the Lower Saxony State Sports Federation.’