سجاد مؤمنی

The aim of this quantitative research was to examine and compare the retirement experiences of retired athletes from selected sports federations in Iran and Iraq. Using the snowball sampling method, 188 retired professional athletes (103 from Iran and 85 from Iraq) were selected from team sports and individual sports. The research data were collected using the Sport Career Termination Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using parametric and non-parametric statistical methods. The results indicated significant difference between the sport career length of the athletes of both groups; there was a significant difference between the sport career termination reasons of two groups; there was a significant difference between the retirement problems in two groups; there was a significant difference between the two groups in the amount of support received by the athletes during the retirement period, and significant difference existed between the level of retirement satisfaction in the two groups. It is recommended that sports authorities in Iran and Iraq pay more attention to retired athletes, strive to address the issues and challenges of their retirement course, and provide programs aimed at developing skills and job competencies for retired athletes. In particular, it is recommended that Iraqi sports authorities maximize the utilization of retired athletes within the country’s sports structure and implement effective programs for the prevention and treatment of sports injuries among athletes. Future researchers are encouraged to employ both longitudinal and qualitative research methods to gain a better and richer understanding of sports retirement.