Craig Esherick

The growing influence of sport has created a unique opportunity to build international relationships for a number of purposes, including cultural, economic, shared humanitarian, and increasingly, political diplomacy. This book explores the influence and effectiveness of sport diplomacy in improving long-term relations between nations by opening a dialogue with international leaders, raising awareness of host countries and to bridging cultural differences, and in building international relationships through ambassadors that could increase trade and legislative agreements, and even bring peace to nations in conflict. Authored by talented scholars from all over the world, many of whom served as sport diplomats, their unique perspective in each case sheds light on the ways in which sport diplomacy can succeed or falter in achieving strategic objectives between influential -- and in some cases historically adversarial -- countries. A thoroughly intriguing look at sport diplomacys past and ongoing efforts to improve relations with countries such as Brazil, Russia, Iran and China, this book brings to the forefront an area in which sport has been able to open up and increase opportunities to build relationships between people, communities, governments and countries.