Sports Diplomacy: Changing the Game

Summary

Sports diplomacy refers to the use of sports, athletes, and sporting events by states and nonstate actors to achieve diplomatic, foreign policy, and security objectives. Positioned at the intersection of public diplomacy, soft power, and nation branding, sports diplomacy encompasses a wide range of activities, from hosting mega sports events, to employing athletes as high-profile sports envoys, to using the power of sport to raise awareness of human security challenges.

While the field has achieved much in its relatively short existence, the need for a stocktake is long overdue. The growth in the practice of sports diplomacy has not, for example, been matched by growth in education, training, and professional development. Western academics, journalists, and sportspeople accuse other, mostly Arab states, of sportswashing while ignoring similar human rights issues in their own countries. And, beyond the photo ops and glossy strategies, it is questionable whether states truly “get” sports diplomacy.

This article demonstrates, and argues, that whether sports diplomacy is ever to “change the world”—as Nelson Mandela once famously remarked—it is vital to understand, and engage, the sports part of the term. So far, governments have dominated the game, with sportspeople, administrators, and organizations looking on with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. The long-term efficacy of sports diplomacy relies not only on states, but on meaningful collaborative partnerships with athletes, sports’ governing bodies, and civil society organizations.