Södertörn researcher honoured for his thesis on sport’s role in work with refugees
Sports associations can offer a pathway to integration for recent arrivals. Tony Blomqvist Mickelsson, from Södertörn University, has been rewarded for his thesis on how sport can be combined with social work to boost the status and participation of refugees.

Tony Blomqvist Mickelsson received his doctorate in 2023, with the thesis A Nordic sport social work in the context of refugee reception. . He has now been awarded the Baltic University Programme's PhD Award for 2024 External link. in the research area of social sciences and the humanitiesa.
“Naturally, I’m very flattered to receive the BUP Prize. I didn’t initially understand how many partner universities there were competing, so that was fun,” says Blomqvist Mickelsson.
Contributions to an expanding area of research
The thesis has been recognised for its innovative approach, integrating sport and social work, and its particular focus on refugee reception. According to the Scientific Committee’s citation, his study contributes to a growing field of research on how sport can promote social integration, particularly for refugees.
“I think their citation is a good summary of my work. Sport in nothing new in this sense, but actual research about the phenomenon is relatively new, and I think they do a good job of highlighting how I have integrated sports science and social work. That was probably what I found most difficult and most enjoyable, conceptualising sport as a form of social work,” he says.
Disseminating knowledge on the role of sport
The study shows how Swedish sports associations can help new arrivals and other vulnerable groups to participate in society through sport. Using interviews and participatory observation, he specifically analysed the reception of Ukrainian refugees, discovering that they often find it easier to find a context thanks to previous sporting experience and cultural proximity to Sweden’s majority society. At the same time, this raises questions of fairness and equality, as other groups are not always welcomed in the same way.
In addition to his research, Blomqvist Mickelsson has disseminated knowledge about sport’s role as social work to sports associations at various levels, and participated in awareness-raising projects, which can contribute to sustainable development and social integration in the Baltic Sea region.
Page updated
20-12-2024