Routledge Handbook of Sport and Soft Power

Paul Michael Brannagan is Reader in Sport Policy and Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. His research focuses on the political role of sport and major sporting events in national policy contexts, and international relations. He is one of the foremost scholars on sport and soft power, having published extensively on the topic. Paul has regularly provided expert comment on the politics of sport to numerous major media networks, including The Sunday Times, BBC World Service, Sky News, The Guardian, and the New York Times.Jonathan Grix is Professor of Sport Politics and Policy and Head of the Sport Policy Unit in the Business and Law Faculty at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He is a global leader in the field of sport and politics having published widely on sport politics, sports policy, and soft power and sports mega-events. Jonathan is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics.Danyel Reiche is an Associate Professor in the Department of Government and Society at United Arab Emirates University and a leading scholar of sport, politics, and society in the Middle East. He was previously a tenured Associate Professor at the American University of Beirut and a Visiting Associate Professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, where he led a research initiative on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. He has edited special issues for the Journal of Arabian Studies and Soccer & Society on Qatar's World Cup and FIFA's North American World Cup, respectively. He also chairs the Political Studies Association (PSA) Sport and Politics Group.

• Introduction Part 1: The Concept of Soft Power and the Study of Sport 1. International Relations, Power, and the Concept of Soft Power 2. Soft Power and the Study of Sport and Sports Mega-Events Part 2: The Americas 3. How has Brazil Used Sport as a Soft Power Tool? 4. Potentialities, Contradictions, and Limitations of Sports Soft Power in Argentina: The Diplomacy of la Albiceleste 5. Soft Power and Sport in Canada 6. Does the US Have a Sports Foreign Policy? Or Mighty Casey’s Rondure of the World 7. Soft Power Strikes Out? The Place of Baseball in U.S.-Cuba Relations 8. Soft Power in Mexican Sports Diplomacy: Major Events, International Partnerships, and Structural Challenges Part 3: Europe 9. Sport Soft Power in the United Kingdom 10. Soft Power and Sport in Germany 11. French Sports Diplomacy and Soft Power Acquisition: Navigating Political Ambitions and Institutional Realities 12. Soft Power in Swedish Sport: Moral Missionary of International Sport Governance 13. Sport and Soft Power in Norway: External Recognition and Internal Legitimation Part 4: The Middle East 14. Qatar and Sports Mega-Events: International and Domestic Soft Power Objectives 15. The United Arab Emirates and Sport Diplomacy: Using Cultures in Sports 16. Sport as a Tool of Soft Power in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 17. Image-Building through Sport: Türkiye’s Strategic Deployment of Elite Sport for Soft Power 18. Soft Power Outcomes of Israeli Football Clubs in UEFA Competitions: Away Days Part 5: Asia and Oceania 19. China’s Strategic Use of Sports Diplomacy for Soft Power: From Ping-Pong Diplomacy to the Belt and Road Initiative 20. Singapore and Mega-sporting Event Hosting and High-performance Sport Investment as a “Smart Power” Strategy: Beyond Soft Power 21. Soft Power and Sport in Japan 22. South Korea’s Global Cultural Strategy for Harnessing Sport for Soft Power 23. Australian Sport Diplomacy, China, and Rugby League’s Push into the Pacific 24. Sport and Soft Power in India Part 6: Africa 25. Sports and Soft Power in South Sudan 26. Kenya Achieves Global Recognition and Visibility Through the Power of Sport 27. Sport and Soft Power in Morocco: Morocco’s ‘Kingdom of Football, Kingdom of Achievement, People of Football’ 28. Egyptian Sports Soft Power: A Mixed Bag 29. Courting Hegemonic Influence in Africa through Sports: South Africa’s Soft Power in the Making Part 7: Transcontinental States 30. Ukraine's Sport Diplomacy and Nation Branding through Euro 2012 and Olympic Aspirations: Stadiums of Sovereignty 31. Leveraging Power, Sport Sponsorship, and Mega-event Hosting in Azerbaijan: ‘The Land of Fire’ 32. Domestic and International Orientation of Russia’s Sports Soft Power Strategy in Times of War and Peace Part 8: Non-State Actors 33. Non-State Actors, Soft Power, and the Politics of Sport 34. From Soft Power to Felt Power: Sovereign Cultural Branding, Consumer Culture, and the Micro-Foundations of Saudi Arabia's Sponsorship Strategy 35. Sports Mega-Events, Soft Power, and LGBTQ+ Rights 36. Soft Power and Sport in Times of Climate Change 37. Soft Power, Disability Sport, and the International Paralympic Committee