sports diplomacy

The Canadian man who once helped basketball hall of famer Dennis Rodman get into North Korea now wants to bring former NHL players into the isolated country to play hockey.

January 27, 2016

Qatar’s brand is now the ninth-most powerful in the world, according to an annual ranking released by UK-based consulting firm ‘Brand Finance’ in 2015. As a progressive country, Qatar, through its visionary leadership, has used many strategies, in particular its soft power, to enhance its position in the international community. 

January 26, 2016

Pat Farmer is an acclaimed ultra long-distance endurance runner from Australia. […] Now 53, Pat is getting ready for a run across India, from Kanyakumari in the south to Kashmir in the north. His run will symbolically begin on January 26, coinciding with Australia Day and India’s Republic Day.  […] He is collaborating with a leading charity to raise money for the education of young girls.

Lone Runner
January 26, 2016

The PD of a cross-India run.

The ten most notable PD moments from 2015.

Following a dizzying sequence of events, including the Saudi execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr together with 46 others, the storming of the Saudi Embassy and the breakdown of diplomatic relations, Saudi Arabia and Iran have expanded their fight to the soccer pitch. Several Saudi clubs […] issued statements [...] demanding that they play Asian championship matches against Iranian squads at neutral venues.

Mark Bromilow says he needs a strong nerve as he sets about building a cultural bridge between Australia and Brazil. [...] Ahead of next year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Australia has targeted Brazil for the major cultural festival aimed at promoting links and collaboration between the two largest nations and economies in the southern hemisphere.

The announcement of a Turkish military base in Qatar was accompanied by the powerful symbolism of a  friendly match played by the national soccer teams of  Turkey and Qatar in Doha. The match, which the Turks won 2-1, provided a sports diplomacy momentum to the ongoing political and security rapprochement between the two countries, while at the same time confirming Turkey’s support for Qatar[.] 

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