ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by framing and defining traditional sports diplomacy. The state, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and professional diplomats are employed as the key referent objects for inquiry, and, in terms of timeframe, this chapter focuses largely on the halcyon days of traditional sports diplomacy, from the nineteenth to the late twentieth century. Traditional sports diplomacy is also a hybrid of two significant institutions which are extremely and at times, eerily compatible with one another. Diplomats and sportspeople are physical representatives of their state in the international relation system. Boycotts are another common practice of traditional sports diplomacy. States, acting alone or in concert, often ban other states from international competition, boycott tournaments, or refuse to allow a rogue nation's athletes to set foot on domestic, sovereign soil. Conversely, states can withdraw from a tournament of their own volition, saying, simply, 'we're not playing'. These decisions often reflect broader government positions, policy and interests.
