Olympic Diplomacy and the Emerging States: Striving for Influence in the Multipolar World (original) (raw)
Related papers
Soft Power, Sports Mega Events and Emerging States: The Lure of the Politics of Attraction
, 2013
This article highlights and analyses a hitherto largely neglected dimension to the growing agency of large developing countries in global affairs – their hosting of international sports mega-events. Why are large developing countries hosting sports mega-events and what does this contemporary phenomenon tell us about the significance of, for example, the Olympics and World Cup in global affairs? We explore these questions through brief examination of the cases of the three most active sport mega-event hosting states in recent times; Brazil, China and South Africa. The 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the up-coming 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil provide interesting examples with which to explore developing country agency in the international system and in particular the discursive basis of that agency. We see the hosting of sports-mega events as the practice of public diplomacy by states to both demonstrate existing soft power capability as well as pursue its further enhancement.
The Olympic Games And International Relations: The Case Of Beijing 2008
Journal of Mekong Societies 8(2) (2012): 121-134.
"International sporting events have largely been ignored by International Relations since it neglects the dominant paradigm realist tradition because of its apolitical nature. This article, nevertheless, argues that international sporting events have been used politically and diplomatically by states, particularly by great powers, as a tool for domestic and foreign affairs. A recent instance was the 2008 Olympic Games, held by China, which is used as the case study in this article. By reframing a realist-based framework of states and international sport, the article analyses the importance of hosting the events to China’s international strategy its struggle for acknowledged status as a great power and concludes that the 2008 Beijing Olympics were a well-planned political and diplomatic project that China successfully utilized in reaching its goal. "
Globalistics and Globalization Studies: Global Transformations and Global Future (Reprint), 2016
Many social scientists see Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa as emerging powers. Analyzing to what extent these countries have the size, the resources, and the will to achieve great power status they find that all these countries are the largest countries with the biggest economies in their regions and play an important role in the global polity. The effects of symbolic power accumulation, however, are frequently ignored and signfficantly underestimated. The paper contributes to the discussion on emerging powers by analyzing global symbolic power formation. Therefore, a field of global symbolism, namely the global field of sport is reviewed. Sport in general can be seen es a mechanism to sfrengthen the national identity of any country and its vision of itself. Hence, the paper argues that the investment into sport is a useful strategl to improve citizens' self-perception as an emerging power and to gain support for their 'expanding' politics. Furthermore, it argues hat the power status of emerging powers cen be read off from the supply and success in international and global sport events. Consequently, it is not of great surprise that emerging countries have started hosing major sport event recently (Olympic Summer Games 2008 and Olympic Winter Games 2022 in China; Soccer World Championship 2010 in South Africa, Commonwealth Games 2010 and Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Olympic Winter Games 2014 and the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, FIFA World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Summer Games 2016 in Brazil).
Many social scientists see Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa as emerging powers. Analyzing to what extent these countries have the size, the resources, and the will to achieve great power status they find that all these countries are the largest countries with the biggest economies in their regions and play an important role in the global polity. The effects of symbolic power accumulation, however, are frequently ignored and significantly underestimated. The paper contributes to the discussion on emerging powers by analyzing global symbolic power formation. Therefore, a field of global symbolism, namely the global field of sport is reviewed. Sport in general can be seen as a mechanism to strengthen the national identity of any country and its vision of itself. Hence, the paper argues that the investment into sport is a useful strategy to improve citizens' self-perception as an emerging power and to gain support for their 'expanding' politics. Furthermore, it argues that the power status of emerging powers can be read off from the supply and success in international and global sport events. Consequently, it is not of great surprise that emerging countries have started hosing major sport event recently (Olympic Summer Games 2008 and Olympic Winter Games 2022 in China; Soccer World Championship 2010 in South Africa, Commonwealth Games 2010 and Cricket World Cup 2011 in India; Olympic Winter Games 2014 and the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, FIFA World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Summer Games 2016 in Brazil).
Entering the Global Arena: Emerging States, Soft Power Strategies and Sports Mega-Events
2019
The Mega Event Planning Pivot series will provide a global and crossdisciplinary view into the planning for the world's largest sporting, religious, cultural, and other transformative mega events. Examples include the Olympic Games, Soccer World Cups, Rugby championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Hajj, the World Youth Day, World Expositions, and parades. This series will critically discuss, analyze, and challenge the planning for these events in light of their legacies including the built environment, political structures, socioeconomic systems, societal values, personal attitudes, and cultures.
SAIS Review, 2011
The Olympic Games are a multinational and multisport event with unparalleled global allure. As athletes from more than 200 countries convene to compete, they are guided by the "Fundamental Principles of Olympism," which call for a mutually acceptable quest for excellence through challenge. Critics of Olympism claim the zero-sum nature of competitive challenge promotes extreme patriotism and international animosity rather than cooperative spirit. In light of this criticism and the resilience of the Olympic Games, this paper considers the proposition that athletic competition is incompatible with the goals of the Games, but ultimately rejects that view and provides two policy recommendations to allow the Olympic Games to realize their full potential as a global assembling event. T he Olympic Games are a multinational and multisport event with unparalleled global allure. Indeed, no other event in the world, sporting or otherwise, compares in the broad range of attention that the Olympic Games attract. To exemplify this, consider the case of the 2008 Olympic Games held in Beijing: all but one of the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that existed at the time of the Opening Ceremonies sent athletic delegations. Whether with just one athlete as in the case of Nauru or 639 athletes as in the case of China, NOCs and national governments consider representation at the Olympic Games as legitimizing their presence in the international communitas. Notice that not even the United Nations (UN) commands such level of membership, commitment, and involvement. The more than 4.5 billion television viewers that followed the efforts of the more than 10,500 athletes from all over the world, and the fact that more than 100 sovereigns and heads of governments and states were present in Beijing provide another measure of the Olympic Games' import. 1
Interrogating States’ Soft Power Strategies: A Case Study of Sports Mega-Events in Brazil and the UK
Global Society, 2015
Central to this article is the use of sports mega-events as part of a state's 'soft power' strategy. The article offers two things. First, a critique of the 'soft power' concept and a clearer understanding of what it refers to by drawing on the political use of sports mega-events by states; second, the article seeks to understand how and why sports mega-events are attractive to states with different political systems and at different stages of economic development. To this end a case study of an advanced capitalist state (London Olympics, 2012) and a so-called 'emerging' state (FIFA World Cup, 2014; Rio Olympics, 2016) will be undertaken in order to shed light on the role of sports events as part of soft power strategies across different categories of states.
Central to this article is the use of sports mega-events as part of a state’s ‘soft power’ strategy. The article offers two things. First, a critique of the ‘soft power’ concept and a clearer understanding of what it refers to by drawing on the political use of sports mega-events by states; second, the article seeks to understand how and why sports mega-events are attractive to states with different political systems and at different stages of economic development. To this end a case study of an advanced capitalist state (London Olympics, 2012) and a so-called ‘emerging’ state (FIFA World Cup, 2014; Rio Olympics, 2016) will be undertaken in order to shed light on the role of sports events as part of soft power strategies across different categories of states. Key Words: Soft power; sports mega-events; political use of sport; Brazil; UK
Rio 2016 Olympic Games and diplomatic legacies
International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 2017
The purpose of the current study was to describe perceptions of Brazilian diplomats in regard to legacies, diplomatic legacies and strategies that have been applied by the Brazilian government to leverage possible legacies of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Drawing on soft power theory, I investigated whether Brazilian diplomats perceived the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as an opportunity for the country to gain diplomatic relevance in international affairs by improving its non-coercive power. I sent invitations to all ambassadors and consuls responsible for Brazilian representations abroad (N = 198). I received answers from 12 diplomats living abroad and one diplomat in charge of the department of General Coordination for Cooperation and Exchange on Sport, a department inside the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Results showed that Brazilian diplomats perceived higher chances of positive legacies related to infrastructure, positive image of the country internationally and development of elite sport in the country. Few leverage strategies for diplomatic legacies were cited by the diplomats, who understand the event itself as the most important leveraging strategy. Implications for theory and practise are discussed.
Of Mechanisms and Myths: Conceptualising States’ “Soft Power” Strategies through Sports Mega-Events
Diplomacy & Statecraft, 2016
Joseph Nye's concept of 'Soft Power' has become an increasingly used term to help explain why states-including so-called 'emerging states'-are paying greater attention towards acquiring various forms of cultural and political attraction. However, within mainstream International Relations, Political Science, and Sport Studies literature, a continuous debate remains as to what actually constitutes soft power, how national leaders go about acquiring it, and how forms of attraction convert into power outcomes in both the short-and long-term. This paper endeavours to overcome these issues by offering an 'Ideal-Type' model which details states' soft power strategies, the mechanisms they use, and the tangible future outcomes they gain. The paper is separated into five sections. First the concept of soft power is introduced and its contribution, application and limitations are critically evaluated. Second, crucial background information on the various national authorities engaged with to arrive at the ideal type is offered, along with a discussion of the research methods used. Third, the paper advances an ideal-type model of a state's soft power strategy, explicitly detailing, in the process, the considerations and rationale behind the design. Fourth, empirical data gathered by the authors around Germany's hosting of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Qatar's acquisition of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is used as 'test cases' to show the utility of the