ABSTRACT
Research on sport as a vector to strengthen a country’s soft power has increased in the last decade. Today, it is one of the main themes of the sub-academic field of sport policy and politics.
Since 2015, under the direction of Prince Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, president of the Bahraini Olympic Committee, Bahrain has invested significant funds in the development of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA): Creating a professional MMA organisation, hosting MMA amateur world championships, and naturalising athletes to dominate international MMA competitions.
This chapter measures the results of this strategy. It examines whether Bahrain has succeeded in achieving international recognition through the promotion of MMA. It argues that Prince Bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s programme did not have a pertinent impact on the highly competitive MMA’s global community. Nonetheless, his plan enhanced his portrayal as a patriotic monarch, potentially strengthening Bahraini nationalism and therefore consolidating the hegemony of the country’s royal family.
