Sports Diplomacy and the Olympic Games

Big World

Cue the fanfare: in this new episode, School of International Service professor Robert Kelley joins Big World to talk about sports diplomacy and the soft power of the Olympic Games.

Kelley, an expert in new diplomacy studies who researches at the intersection of politics and culture, begins our conversation by defining and explaining the objections of both sports and public diplomacy (1:45). Kelley, an Olympics enthusiast, also discusses this year’s Opening Ceremonies in Paris (3:54) and explains how Olympic athletes serve as diplomats during the Games (6:18).

When have the Olympics served as an important diplomatic bridge (13:16)? When have the Games spotlighted simmering political disputes and conflicts (17:29)? Kelley answers these questions and discusses the history of human rights abuses surrounding the Olympics (25:10), and he considers how the Games have served as a platform for protest in years past (28:54).

In the Take 5 segment (20:32) of this episode, Kelley answers the question: what are five examples of Olympic Games that have been diplomatically successful, and why?