ICSIS #5: (Ex)changing Ideas, Broadening Perspectives, and Mobilizing for Impact
The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada | July 9 – 11 2026
About the Conference
The 5th International Conference for Social Identity in Sport (ICSIS #5) will take place at The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver from the 9th to 11th July 2026. UBC is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) people. We are delighted to welcome you to what we expect will be an intellectually stimulating few days at an amazing location, and with the opportunity to exchange ideas, broaden our perspectives, and mobilize our research (for impact) related to social identity in sport, exercise, and health.
The first four iterations of the ICSIS meeting took place in Europe (Leuven, Belgium; Stirling, Scotland; Liverpool, England; Dijon, France), and so ICSIS #5 will be the first time this biennial conference takes place in Canada or, indeed, any of the Americas.
The primary focus of research presented at the previous ICSIS events centred on social identity processes solely from a psychological perspective. Although we anticipate that psychology researchers will continue to be well represented at ICSIS #5 (with a view to presenting an array of research from basic to applied), we also encourage submissions that address social identity processes from complementary disciplines as well (e.g., sociology, political science, medicine, as well as Indigenous scholars). For example, social identity processes have been studied in these diverse fields to deconstruct how systems of power and oppression, marginalization, and discrimination shape relationships within and between social groups. If your research relates to social identity processes (provided that there is a focus on sport, exercise, and/or health) we certainly welcome your submissions.
This website will provide all information about this event. We anticipate releasing information about the conference program around late May 2026, once abstracts have been reviewed and decisions rendered on submissions.
Please join us in Vancouver in July 2026.
Prof. Mark Beauchamp, PhD
The University of British Columbia
ICSIS #5 Conference Chair
Submit an Abstract
We now welcome abstracts to be submitted for consideration at ICSIS #5. The abstract submission portal will close April 30, 2026. To help attendees plan their visit to Vancouver, we anticipate reviewing abstracts on a rolling basis (at the end of February, March, and April), in advance of the submission deadline, and providing decisions following each of these interim points.
We welcome submissions for oral presentations as well as poster pitch presentations. We welcome conceptual, empirical, and applied (e.g., knowledge mobilization) submissions.
Oral presentations will be 10-12 mins in length. Poster pitch presentations will include short (2-3 min) verbal summaries that highlight key innovations along with the provision of a visual poster. Poster pitch presentations represent a great forum to share big ideas with attendees, and at the same time engage in deeper conversations with delegates in an informal setting.
When you submit your abstract, you will have the option of indicating your preference for presentation format, with the same adjudication criteria applied to each submission type. Please note that some researchers may be invited to present in a different format to the one they requested, to ensure a diversity of presentations and ensure balance and representation across different disciplinary areas.
Abstract Format Guidelines
Abstracts must include a title (20 words max), with the main body of the abstract not exceeding 350 words. Please ensure that your submission is in APA format and includes citations but not a list of references. References, tables, figures, or illustrations cannot be included in the abstract. For empirical submissions, please ensure that you clearly specify Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
The language of submissions and presentations is English. Please note that if English is not the author’s first language, we recommend that the abstract be checked by somebody fluent in English before submission (language editing will not be provided).
The first author is expected to present their work and must register for the conference by June 1, 2026, at the latest.
Registration
Registration will open February 15, 2026. Please register early. Please note that the amounts are in Canadian Dollars (1 Canadian dollar = 0.70 USD dollar = €0.62)
Early-bird Registration – Before April 1, 2026
Students and post-docs – $350 CDN if before April 1 (approx. €220 and $252USD)
Professionals – $500 CDN if before April 1 (approx. €310, $360USD)
Late Registration – After April 1, 2026
Students and post-docs $400 CDN if after April 1 (approx. €250, $290USD)
Professionals – $600 CDN if after April 1 (approx. €372, $433USD)
Conference Location
Travel
The conference will be hosted by the School of Kinesiology at The University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver Campus. UBC is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) people, on the West Coast of beautiful British Columbia Canada. It is 13km from Vancouver Airport, 11km from downtown Vancouver, and for the adventurous types is in close proximity to numerous stunning destinations across British Columbia (e.g., Whistler, Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island), with opportunities to go whale watching, hiking, biking, camping, wine tasting, and more.
Vancouver airport is 13km from the UBC campus and is accessible by public transit, taxi, and rideshares (eg., Uber). For an overview of options for how to get to UBC please check out this link.
Accommodation
We have secured a range of block bookings from the 8th to 11th of July for accommodation options. These include hotel-style suites/rooms through to low-cost options.
Hotel-Style Accommodation
To review and secure your hotel-style accommodation for the conference please go to this link. The costs are in Canadian dollars (1 Canadian dollar = 0.70 USD dollar = €0.62). Some of those suites sleep up to 2-4 people.
Alternatively, guests can call our Reservations Office at (604) 822-1000, Ext. 3, or toll free at 1-888-822-1030 or email reservations@housing.ubc.ca and indicate you are with the International Conference for Social Identity in Sport or mention the Group Code (G260708A) to receive the group rate.
Please note that if you’d like to extend your stay after the conference ends, the discounted group rate extends for three days after your July 11th check out date. These dates are subject to availability. In this case, you will have to manually change the dates on the website to book the post dates.
Low-cost Student-Style Accommodation
The Pacific Spirit Hostel (Place Vanier residence) can be booked individually through our website: Pacific Spirit Hostel – UBC Campus Vancouver – Vancouver’s Fun & Affordable Hostel. However, bookings for 2026 won’t open until February.
Program
It is anticipated that the program will be made available by late May 2026.
For planning purposes, please note that the main program will start in the morning of the 9th July (8am) and run till late afternoon on the 11th July. We anticipate having an informal reception in the evening of the 8th July reception.
Contacts and Conference Committees
Local Organizing Committee
Prof. Mark Beauchamp (Chair), The University of British Columbia, (mark.beauchamp@ubc.ca)
Dr. Andrea Bundon, The University of British Columbia
Dr. Erica Bennett, The University of British Columbia
Dr. Desmond McEwan, The University of British Columbia
Scientific Committee
Prof. Mark Beauchamp (Chair), The University of British Columbia
Dr. Andrea Bundon, The University of British Columbia
Dr. Desmond McEwan, The University of British Columbia
Dr. Cailie McGuire, The University of British Columbia
Dr. Radhika Butalia, Goethe University, Germany
Dr. Mark Bruner (Nipissing University, Canada)
Dr. Julien Pellet, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté (UBFC), France