ABSTRACT
In recent years, the number of children lacking sport and leisure opportunities has increased due to many factors such as exclusion, poverty, lack of adequate time and lately, covid-19 pandemic. However, there is a limited effort to understand community sport and leisure (non)participation of children from lower socioeconomic background in the Middle East countries including Turkey. Based on this argument, the aim of the chapter is to analyse and remind of the external factors that impede the participation of children in leisure and sport activities in Turkey. The study takes a critical look at current sport participation numbers and use statistical secondary data to reveal main external issues related to work and class that put children and their sport and leisure capabilities in Turkey at risk. The chapter suggests building partnership between Turkish sport governing bodies and national and international institutions to combat child labour and poverty. It concludes with an emphasis on the necessity to adapt political and cultural concepts to understand external factors and transcend analysing internal constraints to sport and leisure participation in Turkey.
