Sport Diplomacy and Global Politics in the Twenty-First Century

Today, the interplay between sport, global politics, and diplomacy appears increasingly prominent. This is because the world has been witnessing a few notable political shifts: the domination of the liberal international order, the rise of non-Western powers, and the return of geopolitics. First, within the liberalist world order, non-conventional diplomatic conducts such as public exchanges play an important role in the relationship amongst the nations. Understandably, sport emerges as a useful diplomatic instrument. Second, the rise of non-Western nations further strengthens the position of sport in a foreign policy program. These countries employ sport actively to maximize their diplomatic gains. Third, the escalating geopolitical tensions make us reconsider the sport-diplomacy nexus. In this situation, diplomatic and military confrontations turn the international sporting arenas into areas of political disputation. At this juncture, this special issue presents a selection of essays that investigate this volatile interface of sport, diplomacy and geopolitics.