Sports Diplomacy and Sports Development

The areas of sports diplomacy and sports development capture some of the biggest political challenges and opportunities in the realm of global sport. This short topic gives an overview of the breadth and role of global sport in diplomacy and how it intersects with different types of sports development, through a variety of examples. Ranging from elite sport development, such as the pinnacle of international sport, the International Olympic Committee controlled Summer Olympic Games; to sport for development, such as the contribution of sport to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, delivered across a variety of community settings. As relations between different global populations are ever changing, this topic demonstrates some intriguing lines of research and showcases cutting edge strategies and delivery from across the world.

The concept of using sport for diplomatic purposes has been used for centuries, but this topic focuses on the contemporary era (since the 1890s) and a broad interpretation of who is involved in diplomacy. In the past three decades, the range of nation states, global corporations, and non-governmental international organisations wanting to contribute to elite and community sport activities across and between global populations has intensified rapidly. This short topic will demonstrate that whilst the fields of sports development and sports diplomacy have not been traditionally linked, sports diplomacy is becoming an increasingly important political consideration for those working and researching within the sports development field. Readers will gain a better understanding of what sports diplomacy is through an outline of the key tenants and examples, then how it converges with sports development programmes globally.