Fostering Equity in and Through Sport: A Content Analysis of Sports Policies for Migrants in Australia

Physical activity (PA) and sport are mechanisms that promote health and social belonging, yet evidence of policies promoting sports participation and inclusion for Australia's growing migrant population is limited. This study examined how Australian federal, Victorian state and local government (LG) policies address migrant inclusion and equitable sports participation, with a secondary focus on Asian Indians, Australia's largest Asian ethnic group.

Twenty public-facing policy documents drawn between 2014 and 2024 were systematically selected and thematically analysed (federal: n = 10, state: n = 2, LGs: n = 8) using content analysis with 10 predefined categories drawn from migrant-contextual PA domains and planning aspects.

Fifteen documents referenced migrant-specific keywords. Key categories included social and cultural contexts, physical environment and target groups. Sociocultural framing in national and LG documents highlighted sport's role in migrant integration. Victorian LGs adapted the physical environment to accommodate informal and culturally specific sports (e.g., kabaddi), fee-free options and multisport facilities. Few national sport-sector documents distinctly target migrants. Immigration-sector documents identified new arrivals, highlighted cross-government partnerships that integrated sport within workplace initiatives, and adopted a migrant-focused evaluation framework. Most documents lacked actionable migrant-focused initiatives and details on budget, timeframes or legal compliance.

Migrant inclusion is gaining attention in national sport policy initiatives but is insufficiently addressed in state-level documents. Intersectional approaches, targeted planning, collaboration between sport, immigration and health sectors, and increased political advocacy could advance migrant equity.