Bollywood and cricket will blend with diplomacy when the prime ministers of India and New Zealand hold talks Tuesday to push a free trade area pact. Egging them on to do more business will be Stephen Fleming, the Kiwi cricket icon who is the coach for the IPL-winning Chennai Super Kings.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today a partnership with USA Volleyball that will bring 50 volleyball coaches to the United States from Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Trinidad and Tobago. The delegation will will meet with their U.S. counterparts and participate in coaching seminars and clinics.

But if China wants to use sport to boost its soft power, Li's win is a good place to start. That she is not in the mould of most of its athletes – her thank-yous in Paris did not include her country – works in her favour overseas. "She is right up there with [basketball's] Yao Ming in her ability to help people look at China in a different light," said Rhoads.

...a team of four international Chinese sports personalities, including Yao Ming... took part in an image branding film for China that was telecast by CNN and shown in Times Square in New York."We would like our athletes to shine, to draw more eyeballs and help us in our marketing," Lu says.

Investing in sports like tennis is also important for China's global image and "soft power"....China has dominated some sports... so much so that some of the competition rules have been changed in order to "prevent" China from taking all of the medals, and to encourage other nations to participate.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez is in Venezuela this week as part of a State Department "sports diplomacy" effort at a time of icy relations between the two countries. Vasquez, a Venezuelan citizen, is teaming with former NBA player Darvin Ham...

The rise of China in the last two decades has been phenomenal in the fields of economics, military power and inclusive growth. To address negative concerns about this rise in the West, China has been pursuing its soft power options through the medium of culture, especially movies, sports, arts and music.It has very effectively used its soft power in the same way the US did during the Cold War era. The promotion of soft power helps in two ways; one is in maintaining China’s peaceful rise and the other in helping it gain international appeal.

Three current and former basketball players will be in Venezuela this week, part of a State Department “sports diplomacy” effort at a time of icy relations between the two countries. The State Department will announce that Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez and others are participating in the people-to-people exchange starting this Thursday