ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is, therefore, two-fold. First, it sets about a groundclearing exercise by making some important distinctions between several strands of (the multi-disciplinary) literature which are often conflated in discussions of soft power. Second, it draws on the use of sports mega-events by states as part of their soft power strategies, using the UK (London, 2012) and Brazil (FIFA World Cup, 2014; Rio, 2016) as case studies of an “established” and “emerging” state respectively. In doing so, the article builds on the nascent International Relations (IR) literature analysing sport as a lens through which to shed light on wider inter-state political machinations3 and contributes to turning the tide on the “neglect of sport within the study of IR”.4 Far from simply a “hobbyhorse”,5
the manipulation of sport and sports events by states for non-sporting aims offers unique insights into broader soft power strategies adopted by states to further their interests and improve their international standing.
