Potential of Grassroot Sports Diplomacy and role of non-state actors on future diplomacy

A literature review

抄録

Till date, the focus tends to be on the role of national governments, elite sport, or government-run federations in facilitating diplomacy through sport. However, this study seeks to understand the potential of grassroot sports diplomacy and role of non-state actors on future diplomacy activities which can be in form of diplomatic gestures, partnerships and cross-border exchanges that happen in mass participation sport at the grassroots. It is important to highlight the role of non-state actor’s consortium member’s role in diplomacy. Though Murray and Pigman (2014) have offered initial further steps by distinguishing Sport Diplomacy into distinct categories of sports diplomacy between “sport-as-diplomacy,” which entails the negotiations that take place in surrounding sporting occasions, and “international diplomacy of sport” where governments utilise sport as a means to pursue policy and national interests, they failed to discuss a third category of sports diplomacy, Grassroots Sport Diplomacy. Grassroots Sport Diplomacy is defined as a set of practices, methods and activities built on grassroots sport actions developed at a glocal scale and benefiting from a sectorial and cross-sectorial approach. (ISCA, 2019). The research will also help to understand history of grassroots sport diplomacy activities, benefits of people to people exchange, challenges and how it can be replicated as a catalyst for development initiatives.

The results and discussion challenge the theory that diplomacy is essentially a dialogue between the states and highlights the importance of non-state actors. This research categorises non state actors and different roles they play in grassroot sports diplomacy. It also supports the need for more research on study of Grassroot Sports Diplomacy.