Routledge Sports Diplomacy: An Introduction

Sports Diplomacy examines how nations and sporting actors―large and small―use medals, mega-events, elite athletes, global leagues, corporations, and even fans to influence international perceptions and advance strategic interests. Introducing core concepts, issues and debates in the emerging discipline of sports diplomacy, the book moves beyond state-centric models of soft power to define sports diplomacy as a multi-actor and multi-level phenomenon, shaped by governments, international organisations, athletes, corporations, civil society, and grassroots communities. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary and historical case studies, the book explores sports diplomacy among major global powers such as the United States, China, and Russia; leading European states including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain; resource-rich Gulf states; and small states seeking global visibility. It also examines distinctive regional modalities, including South America’s football-driven diplomacy, Africa’s accelerating global repositioning through sport, and emerging arenas such as digital diplomacy, eSports, sustainability, and grassroots fan engagement. Conceptually rigorous, empirically grounded, and with useful features in every chapter to assist teaching and learning, Sports Diplomacy is an essential textbook for any course on sports diplomacy or international relations and sport, as well as a useful reference for diplomats, policymakers, sport executives, and practitioners seeking to understand the power of sport in global affairs.