Sports as cultural diplomacy: the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa’s foreign policy

Fiji, rugby and the geopolitics of soft power. Shaping national and international identity

“…Sport is inherently political and inescapable power relations are involved in all types of sport, for example in boycotts, strikes and the structuring of leagues and international competitions, and recent signs exist of greater interest in the role of sport in globalisation and international relations (e.g. Jackson & Haigh ; Ndlovu ; Nygård & Gates ). There is additional interest in the political geography involved in ‘state‐scale promotion of sport as a dimension of nation‐building’ (Koch , p. 42; Wong & Trumper ), especially where the emotions and passions attached to success at sport suggest that it plays a key role in contributing to shaping nationalism, national culture and identity.…”

Globalisation, soft power, and the rise of football in China

“…However, geographies of globalisation have largely discounted or ignored sport despite its considerable commercial role and media presence, its relationship to national identity, and the participation as players and fans of millions of people. Recent signs exist of greater interest in the role of sport in globalisation and international relations (Jackson & Haigh, 2009) and the particular significance of football as a form of cultural diplomacy (Ndlovu, 2010;Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2011;Schrag, 2011). Conversely, pioneering work on the geography of sport (Bale, 2003) has not been integrated into analyses of globalisation.…”

“…Most states view sporting success, especially in global contexts and contests such as the Olympic Games and the World Cup, as a partial measure of their status in the sporting world and in the wider international community and, therefore as a means of nation building through a form of banal nationalism. Recent signs exist of greater interest in the role of sport in globalisation and international relations (Jackson & Haigh, 2009) and the particular significance of football as a form of cultural diplomacy (Ndlovu, 2010;Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2011;Schrag, 2011). Much of that interest relates to the staging of mega-events, typically the Olympic Games, rather than to the ongoing role and significance of particular sports.…”

Exploring Diplomatic Crisis of Nigeria and South Africa between 1994 and 2013

“…The notable spheres in which South Africa has played major roles in Africa include sport, economics and political leadership. In sport, South Africa emerged from isolation in 1994 to host the first ever FIFA-organized World Cup on African soil (see Ndlovu, 2010). In economics South Africa has demonstrated that it has the most sophisticated capitalist economy in Africa in terms of trade, debt and foreign investments in Africa and beyond (Mahao, 2006;Tjemolane, 2011;Alden and Soko, 2005;Nicole, 2004).…”

“…Though the formal relationship was established between Nigeria and South Africa, Banjo (2010) remarked that the Mandela-Abacha relationship did not measure up to African expectations because it was characterized by mistrust and conflict between the two administrations (also see Aremu, 2013). One of the major issues was the demand by President Mandela that Nigeria should democratize in line with the Harare Declaration in 1991 by the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government (see Ndlovu, 2010). …”