sports diplomacy
A State Department official said in an email that the American Embassy in Havana was aware of the efforts by private institutions like the Caribbean Baseball Initiative to increase ties between the two countries, and described baseball as “an excellent avenue for sports diplomacy and creating good will between our peoples.”
Pakistan-India cricket matches have also offered opportunities for cricket diplomacy as a means to improve relations between the two countries by allowing political leaders to exchange visits and cricket followers from either country to travel to the other to watch the matches.
This new video from Deutsche Welle News explores how one community leader has harnessed the combined power of sports and education diplomacy to teach youth vital lessons about health, self-worth and cooperation.
The program fits neatly with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's new focus on sports diplomacy. The 2015-18 strategy launched in June this year aims to use sports skills, facilities and knowledge to promote Australia and strengthen links with countries and communities in the region.
Why targeting a sporting event often feels like a direct attack at the heart of a nation […] Sport has always been seen as a manifestation of national identity. It is sometimes an outlet for our most primitive, tribal instincts, or, as the former Holland coach, Rinus Michels, put it: "Football is war."
The initiative, organized and funded by the Premier League in partnership with World Vision International and the Asian Football Development Project, will train 24 men and 12 women, including a number of Syrian refugee volunteers, who hail from World Vision Jordan, the Jordan FA, and a variety of aid organizations active within the camp.
Cowboy-hat wearing Wellington Jighere from Nigeria crushed his English opponent 4-0 at the World Scrabble Championship in Australia to become first African to bag the word game's global title. Jighere, 32, was among more than 120 competitors who travelled to Perth for the World English-language Scrabble Players' Association Championship, which culminated in Sunday's final against England's Lewis Mackay.
Globally, sports, as an industry, remains one of the unifying factors, and the games are played to bring people together. Sport is crucial in what we now call sports diplomacy. It bridges the gap and as such, South Sudanese and Kenyans are very close people.