In this Special Issue we introduce the topic of citizenship in sport, a topic pursued within the 4EU+ Alliance project, Flagship 2, devoted to the theme of Europeanness: multilingualism, pluralities and citizenship. The following five articles explore the concept of citizenship, its historical perspectives in the citizenships of ancient Greece and Rome, its contemporary legal and political context, and its relation to sport. The articles also discuss the relationship of the political concept of citizenship as belonging to a nation, and the idea of athletes becoming citizens within and through sport. We believe this topic warrants renewed attention in light of current challenges to citizenship in European society, and the opportunities offered by the particular situated power of sport as an agent of cultural learning and change.
Martínková et al. (2026) studied this question.