International Award for Ana Cikač, Researcher at the Institute for Kinesiology Research of ZRS Koper

Ana Cikač, a young researcher at the Institute for Kinesiology Research of ZRS Koper and a doctoral student at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, has received the 2026 Graduate Paper Award, presented by the International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA).

The award is open to postgraduate students whose papers demonstrate, in the assessment of the association’s committee, a high level of originality, critical thinking and analytical skill.

This year’s main scientific conference in the field of the sociology of sport was co-organised by the European Association for Sociology of Sport (EASS) and the International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA). It took place from 17 to 20 June 2026 at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Dr Saša Pišot also attended the conference on behalf of the Institute for Kinesiology Research of ZRS Koper.

Ana Cikač received the award for her original research paper, “Beyond Individual Responsibility: Rethinking Physical Activity and Inactivity through Lived Experience”. Drawing on the Bed Rest Study, the paper examines physical activity and inactivity as part of the same continuum through the lens of lived experience. It understands physical inactivity as a phenomenon shaped by embodied practices, institutional settings and social expectations, and argues for integrating physical activity into everyday life as part of an embodied way of being, rather than treating it solely as an externally prescribed, normatively grounded health practice.

Ana Cikač’s research focuses on the sociology of sport, with particular emphasis on the social context of physical activity and inactivity, sedentary lifestyles, sports injuries and the healthy lifestyle paradigm.