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Sports Diplomacy News
09/30/2013 – 10/13/2013
- 09/30/2013 – Through the Rink Hockey World Championships, a famous competition among portuguese-speaking nations, Angola seized the opportunity to change its image on the international stage last month. The country could indeed show how it was developing, investing 130 million $ in the organization of this event. This was also a good opportunity for Luanda to sell a better image of a stable and peaceful region, which has been plagued by a civil war between 1975 and 2002.
Read more on Lacroix.com (French)
- 10/05/2013 – Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama had a 15-minute telephonic conversation with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. This marked a renewal of relationships between both countries, which have been interrupted in 1979 following the Iranian revolution. The U.S. football federation is willing to hold a four-team tournament including Iran and play a friendly match.
Read more on Vancouverdesi.com
- 10/05/2013 – Beyond the rethoric of peace and development, sports mega-events also play a major role in driving economies forward. In that perspective, one can notice how international competitions have helped to regenerate cities (i.e. East London in 2012) and renew old infrastructure. There is also a political objective. It seems obvious that Qatar will use the 2022 World Cup to position itself as a regional diplomatic and cultural hub.
Read more on the Standardmedia website
- 10/06/2013 – In three weeks, Barcelona will play against Real Madrid CF in the Spanish football league. “El Clásico” is followed by millions of fans all across the planet. This game is not only famous because of the historic rivalry between both clubs, but also because of the confrontation’s political dimension. Fans of Barcelona will probably shout “In-Inde-Independencia”, calling for the independence of the Catalonia region. On that matter, former IOC President Samaranch had already said in 1975 that “sports events are a microcosm of international relations”.
Read more on the Mediapart website (French)
- 10/09/2013 – In late August 2013, Indonesia hosted the first-ever sumo demonstration held in the Muslim world and in a Member State of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). This event was set up to celebrate the 55th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between Japan and Indonesia. It also marked the 40th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, gathering about 100 diplomats and students. At the same time, the sumo demonstration provided the Japanese with the opportunity to show and actively promote their culture and way of life.
Read more on the Khabar website
- 10/11/2013 – In a tennis tournament held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Tunisian player Malek Jaziri pulled out before his match against Israeli Amir Weintraub actually started. His withdrawal has been ordered by Tunisian sports authorities, according to Jaziri’s brother, who spoke on his behalf on a Tunisian radio channel. This is another bad example – like Olympic Games boycotts – of how sports can be mobilized to express political views. The player will now probably face sanctions from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
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