Sports Diplomacy

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Without a doubt the recently held ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships (Champs) was a huge success. In fact, this annual athletic display has been attracting various teams from some of our Caribbean neighbours. Many of the student athletes who gained success at Champs will be future Olympians. However, Champs is not all about winning. The yearly event has become a part of Brand Jamaica and should be viewed as a vehicle for the promotion of sports diplomacy. Sports Diplomacy (SD) has become increasingly important to the countries for their different reasons. In particular, SD has proved to boost national branding, attractiveness and global reputation. Examples of SD’s contribution to these goals can be found both in academic frameworks and in various discussions of the strategic objectives of many countries worldwide. For example, China’s approach regarding sanitizing its image as hosts of the 2008 Olympic Games. More recently, China adopted “The medium- and long-term Development Plan for Chinese Football (2016–2050)”, which clearly links SD to the notion and practice of national branding and economic attractiveness. Sports diplomacy has become an integral element of foreign policy. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is another example of a country that has been utilizing Sports Diplomacy to rebrand its image. Over the years the image of Saudi Arabia has been tarnished concerning its poor human rights records as well as the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in global sports from football to Formula 1 racing. Interestingly, in late 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr shocked the soccer community. This fact gathered a lot of attention as one of the most famous players worldwide decided to play in a minor league in this Middle Eastern country. Recently, the European Union (EU) Ministers for Sport concluded that “Sport diplomacy can be understood as the use of sport as a means to influence diplomatic, intercultural, social, economic and political relations. It is an inseparable part of public diplomacy, which is a long-term process of communication with the public and organizations with aims such as heightening the attractiveness and image of a country, region or city and influence decision-making on policy areas. It helps to achieve foreign-policy goals in a way that is visible and comprehensible for the general. Jamaica already has a cultural global presence and rightly earned. Nevertheless, much more can and should be done regarding how as a society we can leverage our sporting prowess to influence global diplomatic, intercultural, social, economic and political relations. In keeping with Vision 2030 Jamaica aims to be that country of choice. Jamaica’s development plan embodies a process for the realization of a collective vision, culminated in the statement: “Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business.” Sports transcend borders and cultures and unite people from different backgrounds and ideologies. Jamaica now needs to re-examine how sports can be used as a platform for dialogue and cooperation as our athletes continue to serve as cultural ambassadors. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #SportsDiplomacy

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