ABSTRACT
Power refers to the capacity of an individual or group to command or influence the behaviour of others. Power is vested in people who are selected or appointed by a socially approved procedure, is regarded as legitimate and is often referred to as authority. Power may also be exercised through social pressure or persuasion, or by use of economic or even physical force. Sport has not generally been central to the issue of determining the outcome of international power struggles, of who gets what, when and how, but it has made a contribution to a number of successes and failures in international politics.
