Sport and Diplomacy: A Global Diplomacy Framework

Abstract

Abstract. The range of actors, or "players", involved in the transactions of diplomacy occasioned by sport are manifold. In the case of the world"s "global game" -association football -they include but are not limited to individual footballers, football clubs, national leagues, national associations, football"s international governance structures, multi-national sponsors, and numerous hangers on. Importantly for this analysis, such a panoply of actors creates an architecture, replicated across other sports, which speak to the necessity of furthering the understanding of the relationship between sport and diplomacy. These two phenomena share a long-standing similarity in global affairs; both having been over-looked as means of comprehending relations between different polities otherwise centred on the nation-state. This exegesis advances our understanding in two areas. First, it addresses the parameters of the discussion of "sport and diplomacy" and problematises the discourse between the two with a note on language; and second, it utilises a framework provided by an appreciation of "global diplomacy" to explore concepts of communication, representation, and negotiation in sport and diplomacy.

Olympic Ceremony and Diplomacy: South Korean, North Korean, and British Media Coverage of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games’ Opening and Closing Ceremonies

“…In effect, the Olympic ceremonies work as a useful cultural diplomacy tool for the host country where the merit of its cultural heritage can be exhibited. The dissemination of a message of peace and the display of Korean culture exemplify the function of communication and representation within the framework of modern diplomacy (Cooper, Heine, & Thakur, 2013;Jönsson & Hall, 2003;Rofe, 2016). It is true that the 2018 Winter Olympics mediated the communication and collaboration between the two Koreas.…”

“…Highlighting this evasive duality of sport diplomacy, Rofe (2016) suggests a global diplomacy framework as a tool for investigating the intersection between sport and diplomacy regardless of its settings (i.e. sport in diplomacy and diplomacy in sport).…”

“…The aim of this work is to identify the modes of diplomacy at the winter sport festival by examining and comparing South Korean, North Korean and British media coverage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of PyeongChang 2018. Sport diplomacy is a concept that has attracted significant academic attention in recent years (Black & Peacock, 2013;Merkel, 2017;Murray, 2018;Murray & Pigman, 2014;Rofe, 2016; Rofe, 2018) and a number of scholars have investigated the diplomatic implications of sport mega-events (Grix & Brannagan, 2016;Koch, 2018;Pigman, 2014;Pope, 2014;Rowe, 2019). While their work provides useful insights into strategies and mechanisms for sport diplomacy, relatively few studies exclusively have scrutinised international politics being played out at the opening and closing ceremonies of a global sporting event.…”

Sports Performance and Shaping International Image of a China: Towards Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

“…Chinese football clubs are able to channel enormous sums of money for the salaries of footballers, thus attracting global football stars. As Arsenal FC manager Arsene Wenger stated, "China looks to have the financial power to move the whole league of Europe to China" (p. 212), in response to several transfers from European teams in 2016 (Rofe, 2016). The issue was back in agenda during in the 2017 Winter transfer window.…”

“…Chinese football clubs that were spending great sums on transfers from foreign leagues have been receiving an indirect support from Chinese government -the companies who own the 16 clubs in the Chinese Super League see investment as a way to gain favour with the government (Price, 2017). It is believed, that Chinese leader since 2013 Xi Jinping is a football enthusiast (Rofe, 2016). However, early in 2017 Chinese government criticized 'irrational' expenditure of Chinese football clubs and claimed it would 'regulate and restrain high-priced signings, and make reasonable restrictions on players' high incomes' (AS, 2017).…”