• students can define sports diplomacy as one of the soft power tools
• students give examples of different forms of sports diplomacy activities 
• students understand the ways sport is used by governments for their foreign policy goals
• students interpret international sporting activities in the international context

Google Meet (or another tool for synchronous communication)

Collboard

Ideally designed for a maximum of 20 students, the class can be done with a larger number of students. However, the discussions/debates are not as effective as in larger classes and the central activity is on the shoulders of the teacher all the time.

Before the lecture begins, the students are already familiar with the division of power in international relations into hard power and soft power. Furthermore, students know many foreign policy tools typically associated with soft power, such as public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, science diplomacy, and nation branding. Sports diplomacy is another tool which can be used by national or sub-state governments for their political goals within the international system; it has become very popular, especially in recent years.

First, the relationship between sport and (international) politics is discussed. Then, a definition of sports diplomacy is presented. Next, students are introduced to sports diplomacy actors (such as national governments, sub-state governments, international sports organisations, national sports federations, sports clubs, and athletes) and the ways in which they are involved in sports diplomacy activities. The last part of the lesson is devoted to looking at the tools of sports diplomacy (sponsorship of famous sports clubs, membership in international sports organizations, hosting famous sporting events, and using sportspeople as “ambassadors”).

In general, the content of the lesson is based on the article (Zákravský 2016) and chapter 2 of the book (Zákravský 2021). 

Throughout the class, there is a discussion on the topics (see Steps 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 for details); students are also requested not to hesitate to ask if anything is unclear, if they want to add anything, etc.

Power is still one of the key concepts in international relations. After the end of the Cold War, Joseph S. Nye (2005) distinguished hard power and soft power. Hard power is based on military and economic resources; on the other hand, “[…] soft power is the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments. It arises from the attractiveness of a country’s culture, political ideals, and policies. When our policies are seen as legitimate in the eyes of others, our soft power is enhanced” (Nye 2005: x).

Sport can therefore be seen as a possible way to strengthen soft power. This is done through so-called sports diplomacy. The simplest way to describe sports diplomacy is as an activity which “[…] uses sports people and sporting events to engage, inform, and create a favourable image amongst foreign publics and organisations to shape their perceptions in a way that is more conducive to achieving a government’s foreign policy goals” (Murray 2012: 581).

STEP I
The class begins with a quote: “[…] one of the common clichés associated with sport is that ‘sport and politics should not mix’” (Houlihan 2014: 5). Afterwards, the students discuss whether sport and politics are two separate spheres and should not be mixed. 

This discussion is based on exercise 5 of the Debate/Discussion segment called Devil’s Advocate.

STEP II
In the second part of the lecture, the role that sport can play in international relations is presented in general terms. Not all use of sport within the international system can be described as sports diplomacy (see e.g., Murray 2018: 201–247, Keech 2001: 72). To conclude this part, a definition of sports diplomacy is provided (see Basic Terms of the scenario).

STEP III
Afterwards, students are familiarised with various sports diplomacy actors. The roles of national and sub-state governments, international sports organisations, national sports federations, sports clubs, and the roles of athletes themselves in sports diplomacy are described.

The most important foreign policy/international relations actor is the state. Therefore, the teacher ought to focus mainly on its role. When the state/national government is mentioned, the students are asked a question: Which countries do you think use sport as a foreign policy tool? Why?

Students do not immediately answer the questions; they are divided into groups of two, three or four. Within five minutes, everyone in the group should give their opinion. (Each group has its own breakout room.) Afterwards, the students present their opinions to all their classmates.

STEP IV
In this segment, sports diplomacy tools are presented. The main part deals with sponsorship of famous sports clubs. Before the class begins, students read a scientific article called The Soft Power Strategy of Soccer Sponsorships written by John S. Krzyzaniak (2018). See Attachment 2 for details. The teacher asks the following questions:

1) What could be the relationship between soccer sponsorship and nation brand (or soft power)? Is there any?

2) Which states are mentioned in Krzyzaniak’s article? Are there any similarities and differences among them?

3) How could you describe the activity of Qatar in the area of soccer sponsorship? Do you know any other sports diplomacy tools used by the State of Qatar?

4) What do the United Arab Emirates do in the context of soccer sponsorship?

5) What about Azerbaijan? Were there any controversies connected with their soccer sponsorship activity?

6) Do you know any other examples from different sports?

Students give their own examples. (It would be ideal if they mentioned professional cycling teams supported by governments or state-owned companies.) 

Next, the cycling team Astana Pro Team / Astana Qazaqstan Team, a flagship of Kazakhstan’s sports diplomacy, is introduced in the context of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy goals. The teacher shows how Astana’s identity is presented to the public through a YouTube video. See Attachment 3 for details.

STEP V
Another sports diplomacy tool is a membership of international sports organisations. Its importance is described by the teacher. This part of the class is focused on specific examples of sub-states aiming to join international sports organisations. The activities of the Basque Country (see e.g., García 2012) or Kosovo (see e.g., Brentin – Tregoures 2016) are discussed.  The discussion is followed by watching a short YouTube video. It is an interview with Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in which he considers Kosovo’s membership in the IOC. See Attachment 4 for details.

STEP VI
The third sports diplomacy tool is hosting famous sporting events. In this context, students think about some sporting events that could be described as successful and react to the following questions: Do you know any examples of great sports events? Why do you consider it as a great event?

Next, a few examples of “great sports events” are mentioned by the students and the teacher. It is good to talk about “the Double-Edged Sword of Hosting” (Grix 2016: 162). The students should know that hosting a sporting event does not always immediately mean strengthening the national brand.

STEP VII
The last sports diplomacy tool is using athletes as “ambassadors”. Among other things, the American Sports Envoy Program (see e.g., Faulkner 2017) is described. Next, attention is paid to specific examples in history where sport has been used as a channel of communication between rival nations, such as basketball diplomacy between USA and Cuba (see e.g., Turner 2010), wrestling diplomacy between USA and Iran (see e.g., Abooali 2017) and, finally, ping-pong diplomacy between USA and China. 

Ping-pong diplomacy is probably the most famous case of using sport as a tool to improve relations between

hostile countries. The last YouTube video is an interpretation of ping-pong diplomacy by Nicholas Griffin. See Attachment 5 for details. 

The students are then asked: 

• What was ping-pong diplomacy? 
• What key information did Griffin mention? 

STEP VIII
Finally, all the necessary information is summarised by the teacher, and the students are invited to ask any final questions.