Suchergebnisse

In An Essay Written In The Mid-1980S Trevor Taylor Concluded that '. . . international relations scholars show little sign of seriously considering the place of sport in global human affairs' and prescribed that 'international relations should take more account of sport . . .' We might have expected some change in the period since then, not least because the academic study of sport has established itself in such fields as politics and law and has made further advances in sociology and social history. The 'myth of autonomy' which suggested that sport should and did have little effect on other human activities has been largely undermined; indeed, we might argue that in some cases there has been an overreaction against it. Modern sport is increasingly and perhaps essentially international and has had an international dimension almost from the outset. It has developed highly autonomous international organizations, most notably the International Olympic Committee and FIFA, the international (association) football federation.

Several countries' use of national sports figures to garner prestige within the context of international relations is examined. An analysis of sports policy in the former USSR is performed, revealing that national sporting success in international competition was perceived as highlighting the positive characteristics of a Soviet lifestyle to the nation's citizens & demonstrating the superiority of Soviet society & politics on an international level. It is claimed that 20th-century GB's support for its athletes in international competition actually veiled the government's agenda for using sports figures to bolster support for social policy. In addition, an examination of sub-Saharan African governments' valorization of sports figures revealed that such individuals were used to acquire international prestige; however, it is asserted that such prestige has generally been short lived because of these nations' struggles with education & employment issues. It is suggested that states continue to search for new forums in which to demonstrate their power. J. Parker