Photo: Fauzan Saari on Unsplash
In recent years, the world of international affairs has witnessed a gradual emergence of different new innovative forms of diplomacy. What was once a field dominated solely by state and supranational actors, has increasingly become a game where new players have come at play. This has opened up new scenarios where novel hybrid forms of handling such affairs co-exist alongside more traditional ones, in an often times non-exclusive and collaborative way, for the benefit of all the subjects involved.
Among these innovative practices of managing international affairs, there is one particular form that has lately attracted growing attention and prominence, and that is namely sports diplomacy. This particular type of approach fits mostly into the broader scheme of public diplomacy and soft power. Resources such as culture or sports in this case are used to exert influence and persuade other actors, be they nations or the public opinion, to possibly align and lean towards one’s values, stances and ultimately interests.
Unlike some other ways of conducting such activities, the uniqueness of sports diplomacy resides in its intrinsic neutral and universal nature. This allows it to surpass and leap over any potential political, cultural, or linguistic boundaries and spread its messages across the world and fulfill its mission without any real barrier. And this is particularly important, if we consider the fact that the size of the global audiences for sports exceed those of any other subject matter, including the film and movies industry.
Sports can hence be considered as a very powerful international communication medium and a really smart diplomatic tool, which might be used for different goals such as promoting a country’s international image, prestige, reputation, and attractiveness. Athletes and teams can help to foster peaceful relations and dialogue between nations and peoples of the world, helping processes of détente and rapprochement between states, spreading cultural values or ideologies, raising awareness and endorsing causes, strengthening the position and easing the integration of countries in the international community and system, attracting tourism, encouraging economic growth, and generally speaking promoting national interests and achieving foreign policy goals.
As FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in his keynote speech in the closing session of the Sports Diplomacy Conference, an event which took place in June 2021: “Sports diplomacy is a relatively new term… a new term, however, which describes an old practice: the use of sports to realize policy goals, to help bring about positive social change.”
And the ways in which countries can use sports for the abovementioned diplomatic purposes are multiple, however, the most common ones include hosting major international sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup or other competitions. Participating and possibly succeeding in such events and tournaments either through the presence of national teams, sports clubs or individual athletes, organizing friendly symbolic games between hostile parties for reconciliation aims, sponsoring and supporting sporting events, teams, or athletes for national branding purposes and as an outreach mean. Sports can help in creating the necessary infrastructures and investing in sports training and education centers that will more easily enable domestic athletes to flourish, succeed and act as country ambassadors internationally.
And as Gianni Infantino affirmed, although sports diplomacy is a relatively new term, sports itself has somehow always been an object and instrument of diplomacy: the Olympic truce is an ancient idea implemented since the antique days of Olympia. Other instances such as the ping-pong game of 1971 between the US and China have been widely recognized as a decisive icebreaker, which in this case paved the way to the formal resumption of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
In more recent times, we have witnessed for instance how much tennis player Roger Federer has contributed through his performances to the promotion of the image of Switzerland worldwide and the consequent strengthening of its soft power. Qatar has had the chance to increase its global presence, prestige and influence thanks to the hosting of the FIFA World Cup or through the financing and sponsoring of renowned French football club Paris Saint-Germain. The world and Olympic judo gold medalist Majlinda Kelmendi has been thanks to her achievements in providing further international legitimacy to Kosova as an independent state. The membership in international sporting federations such as FIFA and UEFA has helped the integration of this eastern European country into the international community. It has become extremely important for nations to host or win major tournaments due to the such events positively affecting not only the soft power but also the economy and GDP growth of different nations throughout history.
And although perhaps it may not always strongly affect major geopolitical shifts, these examples clearly show how sports is yet a really powerful diplomatic instrument, capable of fostering international dialogue and cooperation. They can aid in facilitating changes or increasing momentum in diplomatic practices, shaping foreign affairs, providing a favorable environment for a nation to manage its international relations, and defining its image, prestige and position in the global arena. The results may not always be those desired, but it is incontrovertible that through sports diplomacy it is possible to open and create otherwise unthinkable scenarios.
As former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela during the Laureus Sports World Awards in 2000 said: “Sports have the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sports can create hope, where there was once only despair.”
Countries, governments, and international policy professionals must therefore understand how important it is to play, master and invest in the game of sports diplomacy. Finally, – if they have not yet done so – consider ways in which to integrate it into their own work and when drafting and designing their foreign policy plans, because a clever and well-conceived diplomatic strategy could strongly capitalize on and benefit from the opportunities offered by sports.
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