This phenomenological study aimed to explore and interpret the lived experiences of Iranian athletes regarding border restrictions and the cancellation of sports delegations during the Ramadan War in 1404. The participants consisted of professional Iranian athletes from various sports disciplines who had direct experience of non-participation in international competitions due to war-induced border restrictions. Purposive sampling was employed and continued until data saturation was achieved. Ultimately, fourteen athletes from different sports participated in the study. The research instrument was semi-structured interviews, and MAXQDA software along with Colaizzi’s seven-step method was used for qualitative data analysis. In addition, triangulation (data and researcher) was applied to reduce bias and enhance convergence.

Based on the analysis of the findings, five main themes were identified: value-based perseverance and commitment, emotional shock and breakdown in response to crisis, crisis of meaning and threat to athletic identity, psychological resilience and motivational self-regulation, and social support and team cohesion in participants’ experiences. The results indicated that border restrictions caused by war not only created physical barriers to athletes’ participation in international events but also led to profound psychological, identity-related, and motivational consequences. At the same time, their lived experiences reflected the emergence of internal resilience mechanisms, strengthened team cohesion, and a redefinition of personal and professional values.