Abstract: By reviewing the 265 paper abstracts presented at 50th Anniversary of ISSA and World Congress of Sociology of Sport and the 50 special contributions to Review of International Sports Sociology, the present paper tries to identify the hot topics, the characteristics and the trend of recent research in sociology of sport. The findings indicate that the topics in sociology of sports are characterized by being timely, region-specific, well-targeted and cross-disciplinary. Among the topics, “gender and sport”, “sport and politics (policy)”, and “sport and health” are three prevailing subjects. Post-structuralism, cultural critical perspectives and qualitative research paradigm are widely adopted. Currently, the international sociology of sport is faced with factual and disciplinary opportunities as well as challenges from the natural sciences, mainstream sociology and sociology of sport within. Academic utilitarianism, language and regional differences are the barriers to the discipline’s international cooperation and development. To face the challenges, the international sociology of sport should take serving human beings in a comprehensive way as its mission to whet its innovative capability, and give full play to its humanistic value and reflective spirit.

Key words: Sociology of Sport, ISSA, gender, health, well-being, policy