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. 

The healing touch provided by the feel-good diplomacy for the return of Geeta from Pakistan has evaporated with the cancellation of the Delhi concert by Ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali. While the Ministry of External Affairs refuses to acknowledge any setback to India-Pakistan people-to-people relationship, the Pakistani civil society figures think otherwise.

The first World Indigenous Games is underway in Palmas, Brazil, having kicked off on October 23. Also billed as the Indigenous Olympics, the games include 2,000 athletes from dozens of Brazilian tribes, as well as indigenous groups from 22 other countries—from the United States and Russia, to New Zealand and Ethiopia.

Qatar’s success in securing the rights to host the 2022 World Cup will be cheaper than fighting a war and could improve workers’ rights but may not prove successful in garnering soft power. That was the message from a session titled ‘Qatar and the Soft Diplomacy of Sport’.

The often-brutal sport of rugby has become an unlikely international sports leader in forcing players to accept gay teammates […] but players such as Australian David Pocock, who will be in Saturday's final, have taken a gay rights stand on the pitch and the World Rugby governing body has backed a campaign by activists.

The British government has faced criticism for its lack of response to the huge numbers of refugees who are heading to Europe in search of safety, yet [...] a small but dedicated group of football fans, who originally met through their love of the Hamburg-based left-wing club, St Pauli, organize various football-related events with refugees and asylum seekers who are already in the UK.