Iraqis have long cherished concepts of a coherent community, but with the US occupation in 2003, Iraqi society has become increasingly fragmented. Iraq, like many other war-torn countries, is seeing a deepening of the chasm between organizations and the division of society along religious, national, and political lines [1]. There are others who believe that Iraq's problems with economics, politics, education, and health care have become worse, polarized society, and widened the social divide since the year 2003. This ideology's impact on government's state policy and social programs necessitates a new understanding of how social programs are constructed and administered, as well as potential implications for sports management to address societal issues. These consequences and challenges have repercussions for the provision of sport, the development of healthy communities, and the escalation of joint social issues. In the past decade, sports policymakers have had to adapt to the influence of change processes on social and economic activities in Iraq, including social inclusion and community development. Should the government take steps to help sports and other organizations combat war-related violence? [2]. Participation in international sports has a favourable effect on Iraqi society [3]. A second function has emerged in which the sport is used as a platform to address societal issues and create opportunity for members of society to address situations and discover solutions to problems. How sport management professionals and academics might examine the broader societal ramifications of international sports participation [4]. While government departments throughout Iraq recognize the importance sport can play in promoting social integration in society [1], no research studies have yet explored the impact of competition in community development and in promoting social integration in Iraq. According to research, finding a community with which to identify and feel a sense of belonging is one of the difficult tasks for people living in war- and violence-torn regions, where social program funding is dropping and social cohesion is breaking down [5]. This research looks into many aspects of the dispute over and therefore how sports fields contribute to societal outcomes. We investigate whether and how games sport can contribute to the social repercussions in this study. In addition to Murray and Pigman's [6] previous criticism of the social impact of international athletic involvement, this study looks into the ability of international sports participation to help to the strengthening of social ties in Iraqi society. The emphasis is on the development of youth athletic games, which can assist young people build bonds with their fellow citizens, empower them to solve social issues, engage them in their communities, and therefore contribute to the growth of social relationships and citizenship. The study of the global role of sports in the formation of social relationships, as well as the extent to which sport might theoretically aid to the related policy objectives. In addition, the ending discussion assesses the study's ability to demonstrate that international social relationships can be created through sports evolution. While there are numerous studies on international sports participation, the vast majority of studies have focused on the physical, health benefits, the economy and media, and the level of teams and political participation, with fewer studies focusing on social aspects. The research providing evidence for the international sports participation guidelines does not explicitly address social relations.

In addition, the literature that informs the sports international involvement standards indicates that factors such as social support may lead to the development of social relationships [7]. Football is one form of international sports participation that is typically competitive and played in a team setting [8]. In Iraq, football participation is extremely popular. In addition, there is evidence that international sports participation in a football game at the continental and global levels is increasing [9]. 

In contrast, research indicates that Iraqi society is more cohesive as a result of involvement in international football matches than in other sports [10].

Literature Review

Social Relationship: Loneliness and self-alienation, as well as a lack of purpose or meaning, can be damaging to a person's growth if they are not connected to others. There are numerous conceptual approaches to the social contract. It is generally regarded as thought and a psychological construct to have a pivotal part in the evolution of a person's identity, their happiness, and their mental health [11]. Timpone [12] suggested social relationship as "the level of a person's integration into his or her social environment and the richness of the associative networks that follow." The relationship is also considered as expressing in various ways: 'related to the self; relationship to others persons, including the social relations of friends, co-workers, family, and other social groups in a job inside and outside; and relationship to a higher meaning or purpose in life [13]. Importantly, research into social interactions has centered on examining concerns pertaining to the impact of international sports participation on the quality and quantity of relationships in Iraqi society. Recent efforts to enhance a strong measure of social interactions have been conducted by Holt-Lunstad, Smith, and Layton [14] and House, Landis and Umberson, [15]. Smith [16] it is argued that the concept of belonging consists of three components: companionship, the relationship, and membership. The efforts of Lee and others have improved a social relationship scale, an eight-item measure that reflects "one's impression of oneself in relation to other people." The scale measures the emotional distance or relationship between the individual and others, including co-workers, friends, family, and society [17]. However, the social relationship scale includes measures that capture all three aspects of belonging: friendship, camaraderie, and affiliation. This scale, according to Edara [18], encompasses the aspects of belonging characterized by Kohut as a sense of security and being "human among humans." Some researchers have employed the social relationship scale [19-21]. The social relationship has been determined to be a crucial 'psychological resource in well-being and personal adjustment,' and this social relationship is equally significant in the lives of both men and women [22]. However, efforts to pinpoint the determinants of social relationships have proven more difficult. It is unclear from the literature if participation in international sports makes individuals more or less socially connected [23]. While Eime et al. [8] found that participation in international sports was connected with higher levels of social relationship, he also found that education, age, and income were all associated with the more substantial social relationship. Marlier et al. [24] were more explicit, stating that 'international involvement in sports has become the indicator of choice for developing social relationships and that it seems plausible that some international involvement in sports produces strong relationships and, consequently, greater levels of social cohesion.' Importantly for this study, they stressed the need for more research to investigate the potential effects of different types of international participation in sports on certain (disaggregated) social interaction variables [25]. Possible for features of social relationships to have varying constraints or promote international and sports participation's influence on the establishment of groups and social relationships in society. According to Crawford and Godbey, interpersonal and structural limits on individual and team sports are intrapersonal [26]. Low levels of social connections may be considered as an interpersonal sports barrier for persons who lack the relationships required for a smooth transition from local to international sports involvement. Pereira, Prada, and Santos [27] employed from a social links viewpoint for the necessity of situating'social society' cultures within broader social connections that overlap and impact one another, as Wood and Danylchuk demonstrated, in part, on the formation and maintenance of' society culture.

Participants

The sample comprised 400 teachers and students drawn at random from Baghdad's universities (sampling frame). The questionnaire was mailed to participants along with an invitation to complete and return it. Collecting a total of 260 returns that can be processed. Using comparisons, a measure of the sample's representativeness relative to the parameters of the known population can be obtained. 65 percent of the sample was comprised of students, compared to 35 percent of professors. There were additional distinctions between the sample and the population. The example (median age = 30 years) was older than the community (median age = 22 years for students in 2017-2018 and median age = 38 years for professors). In addition, the sample lacked university administrative officers with active employment. Example: Baghdad was home to a disproportionate number of universities.

Measures

The social relationship was measured using the Disability Social Relationship (DSR) Scale developed by Grand, Bernier, and Strohmer created a scale that measures the degree of interpersonal connection between a person and their social surroundings, as well as the degree to which this closeness is difficult to sustain. The measure contains eight items scored on a six-point Likert Scale (1 = "strongly agree," 6 = "strongly disagree"). Examples are, "I do not feel linked to anyone" and "I do not feel connected to the environment around me." The higher the score, the stronger the sense of social interaction. The eight items have been demonstrated to have a reliability value of alpha = 0.91 on the Disability Social Relationship (DSR) Scale. In the present study, Cronbach's alpha was.

Procedure

The sample was polled using self-administered questionnaires sent by direct mail with two reminders, as advised by Mackety's "tailored design strategy" for postal surveys [28]. The study was conducted from May to June of 2018. 260 replies were received, representing a response rate of (65%).

Analysis

Analysis of the data was carried out with the aid of SPSS (Statistics 25). Using a cross-sectional survey, the important indicators of social contact and community involvement could be determined and extrapolated to the institution thanks to the study's large and representative sample. The design of the analysis was based on a two-stage procedure: first, a search for a bivariate relationship between potential predictor variables and a dependent variable (social contact), and second, if significant results were obtained from the first stage of the search, a search for patterns of primacy amongst groups based on these potential predictor variables. Many independent variables were measured at nominal or ordinal levels (such as gender, birthplace, and family structure) and required the use of simple measurements at universities in order to achieve the first stage. The second phase was completed using multiple Ordinary Least Squares regression (OLS). When dummy variables are used, categorical explanatory factors (such as the critical involvement variable) can be used.

Initial analysis of missing values revealed a non-response rate for the item gauging income 11.6%, the question on community involvement had a non-response rate of 9.5%, living with a family and partner had a non-response rate of 8.2%, and all other items had missing values in the range of 0.1% to 2.2%. There was no correlation between income, community participation, and partner characteristics and missing values between demographic factors, hence it was concluded that the data were completely missing at random. Due to the size and status of the sample, a comprehensive case analysis was conducted to eliminate any cases with one or more missing values via list wise deletion. The data screening eliminated 90 cases, leaving 310 cases accessible for examination. In anticipation that status would lead to unbiased parameter estimations, a portion of statistical power was sacrificed [29]. Thirty-five of respondents are university instructors. Sixty-five percent of these were bachelor's degree students. The median duration of international participation in sports games was four years (among those who participated in more than one sport). 71% of respondents were involved non-athlete members of the university community (Dr, MA, Assistant Professor and Professor). Of these, 11% had been a Master. Five percent were Professor, 12% Assistant Professor 7% were of doctor. For the single or primary organization (in the case of respondents affiliated with multiple colleges), the type of organization was ‘social services’ 24% followed by ‘religion’ 19%, ‘education’ 11%, ‘philanthropy 11%, ‘environment’ 11%, ‘culture/arts’ 11%, ‘health’ 8%, ‘law’ 2%, ‘housing’ 2%, and international’ 1%. The median number of years spent with an individual or principal organization was four. M = 26.76 (SD = 4.80: n = 234) was the sample's mean score on the social relationship scale (SD = 4.80: n = 234). In their research of college students, on their eight-item test, Lee and Robbins found a mean score of M = 38.85 (SD = 8.09: n = 313). A one-factor congener model with eight indicators was specified for dimensionality testing of the social relationship scale, which demonstrated that the model did not adequately match our data. A review of the standardized residual covariance matrix, as recommended by Hildreth [30], found that four of the items should be removed. For the one-factor congener model of social relationship, four reflecting indicators were chosen. 2 (2) = 5.00, p =. RMSEA = 0.018 (0.000,0.065), TLI = 0.999, GFI = 0.999, were the results of the model. 'I don't feel attached to anyone,' the first of the four phrases eliminated, is vague and could be understood by respondents to signify familial relationships rather than a sense of social relationship. 'Even among my buddies, there is no sense of brother/sisterhood,' was similarly excluded. The third removed item, “I catch myself losing all sense of relationship with society", was deemed unnecessary to imply a loss of relationship with others and was therefore omitted. The fourth removed item "I don’t feel I participate with anyone or any group" was eliminated since it emphasized active participation in an activity rather than social ties. The four items retained in the modified scale of social relationship used in subsequent analyses were: "figures in parenthesis show standardised regression weight in the four-item model from the latent variable to the item": ‘I feel disconnected from the world around me’ (β = 0.576): "Even around persons I know, I don’t feel that I really belong" (β = 0.923): ‘I feel so distant from people’ (β = 0.882): and "I have no sense of togetherness with my peers" (β = 0.834). The mean score on the modified social relationship scale (four items) was 19.22 (standard deviation = 4.30: n = 234). In this paper, Cronbach's alpha for the modified scale was.

Table 1 The group 'on sportsman' had the highest mean age (23.06 years), followed by the groups' sport and other' (34.40 years), 'no involvement' (38.70 years), and' sport exclusively' (23.05 years). Second, the majority of' sportsman' members (%23.8) were between the ages of 21 and 26 whereas %35 of 'on sportsman' members were over the age of 26. At the final multivariate analysis stage, it is possible that these age differences were mirrored in other significant differences between the groups in the descriptive level. There was a significant difference between completed education groups, with greater proportions of 'on sportsman' and' sports man and on sportsman' individuals in more educated levels–29 percent and 32.89 percent, respectively, with a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 36.84 percent for 'sports man' and 13.15 percent for 'not involved'. As expected, there were substantial differences in social relationship ratings across groups: On the four-item modified social connectivity scale 'sports man and on sportsman' had the highest mean score (M = 19.42: SD = 4.28), followed by 'other only' (M = 22.44: SD = 3.81). All three involvement groups outperformed the "no involvement" group (M = 20.66: SD = 3.80). 

Table 1: Community Organization Involvement Groups' Descriptive Results

Table 2 provides a correlation analysis between potential determinants of social relationships. In the majority of instances, correlation levels for the multivariate processes (shown below) were acceptable and below 0.20. The strongest relationships with the modified social relationship measure at the  bivariate level were living with a spouse (r = 0.132: p≤0.001): income, and sport participation (r = 0.087: p≤0.001). 

Table 2: Relationships between Predictors of Social Connection in Zero-Order

*Correlation is significant at the (0.05) level (two-tailed) **Correlation is significant at the (0.01) level (two-tailed) n = 310

According to (Tables 3 and 4), none of the involvement indicators (intensity, tenure, and number of organizations) in the sports engagement or other involvement type categories were substantially linked with the original or modified social interaction scales.

        Key to variables:

• Age (in years)
• Born (1= Born in Iraq: 0 = Born outside Iraq)
• Education (1 = Degree and higher: 0 = Less than Degree)
• Partner (1 = Do live with partner: 0 = Do not live with partner)
• Sportsman (1 = Member of community sport organization: 0 = Not a member)
• No sportsman (1 = Member of (non-sport) community organization: 0 = Not a member)
• SC8: Social relationship eight-item scale "low to high": SC4: Social relationship four-item scale "low to high"

Table 3: Correlations of Zero Order between Involvement Measures and Social Relationships Scales: Non-Sportsman

SC8: Social relationship eight-item scale "low to high': SC4 Social relationship four-item scale "low to high"

Table 4: Correlations of Zero Order Between Involvement Measures and Social Relationship Scales for Non-Athletes

Notes: R2 = 0.053 (p<0.001), ** p<0.001, * p<0.05. n = 87.SC8: Social relationship eight-item scale "low to high": SC4 Social relationship four-item scale "low to high"

In this study, we sought to explore the impact of international involvement in sports on the university community's social relationships in Iraq, as well as the knowledge, experiences, and dedication that appeared likely to contribute to the formation of social relationships. We did so due to the pervasive emphasis on social interactions in Iraqi social policy and the considerable contribution of sport to this and other social findings. Our initial worry was whether international involvement provided individuals the opportunity for the personal and skill development that would enable them to engage in community service in the most effective manner. In this regard, we were interested in assessing the extent to which sports volunteering improved personal social relationships, increased social skills, and an individual's feeling of transferable self-worth. Not only did both groups of responders acknowledge that this was the case, but they also described how such benefits had accrued. Several instances are provided to illustrate how various jobs brought distinct benefits. For instance, the experience of managing an international sports team led to an improvement in confidence while engaging with others. This study identified in detail how participation in sports led to a positive effect on attitudes and behaviors among individuals. Our second research goal was to see how an international involvement affects a person's 'social relationship,' in terms of providing opportunities for people to develop a sense of citizenship with others in their relationship, as well as fostering a greater awareness of others' needs and the positive experience that can be gained from interacting with them for a common goal, it is important for people to engage in community service. It is undeniable that involving international athletes in sporting activities promoted interaction between individuals and a community of "others" (Men, women, children, adults, learners, uneducated, athletes, and non-athletes, etc.) in an increase in people's sense of compassion and citizenship may have been a side effect of this enhanced social contact in developed social relationships. The teaching staff noted that learners and adolescents communicated with their classmates more frequently than in the past. Furthermore, within this limited social interaction, international participation in sports competitions was concurrently likely to operate as a spur for coaching, officiating, and broader sports leadership activities.

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