Perspectives on the cross-cultural challenges and coping strategies of sport coaches

As competitive sports become increasingly global, sport coaches engage in multicultural organizations and interact with people from different cultures. These interactions may need sport coaches to have cross-cultural competencies to manage cultural differences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cross-cultural challenges encountered by sport coaches in multicultural sport environments, and to explore the coping strategies they employ to navigate these challenges. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve coach educators from various sports and nations. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed two themes regarding the cross-cultural challenges faced by sport coaches: (1) unpreparedness to interact with people of different cultures, and (2) adapting to different cultures as a sports coach. In addition, two themes emerged in relation to their coping strategies: (3) being immersed in different cultures; and (4) being open-minded. The results of the study indicate that sport coaches, regardless of whether they are in their home country or abroad, encounter personal and professional challenges related to culture in their interactions with others. It illustrates the need for cross-cultural topics to be addressed in coach development programs.