One year ago, the city of Donostia-San Sebastian in the Basque Country, also known as Euskadi or Euskal Herria in the Basque language, hosted the world’s first major Congress on sports diplomacy. Over two full days, the program brought together most of the world’s leading voices in this rapidly growing field of research and practice. It also facilitated personal introductions and the development of a network of relationships, which have paved the way for significant initiatives and developments within the field of sports diplomacy to progress.
The event was groundbreaking in its focus on sports diplomacy, offering perspectives from a uniquely Basque lens alongside contributions from more than 20 international experts. While sports diplomacy has gained significant traction in nations like Australia, France, Wales, and the United States, it was not widely recognised as a prominent field of research and practice by Basque society prior to the success of the Congress.
Interestingly, the Congress attracted a number of local Basque delegates who may already have been undertaking roles that include elements of sports diplomacy but did not realize this to be the case. They are now grateful to have a professional reference point and framework for their work within and beyond the Basque Country. Events such as the Zegama-Aizkorri (Alpine ‘sky run’ marathon), Donosti Cup (International youth football tournament), and Behobia-San Sebastián (Basque heritage hill-running tour) have brought attention to the significant role they play in championing Basque culture, sport and heritage on the domestic and global stage. These events have given the international community insight into the experiences that shape the image of the Basque Country.
It is also important to highlight that the Congress did not exclusively focus on the academic sphere. Instead, it was able to combine academic reflection and the contribution of practical, real-life experiences of sports diplomacy in action from around the world. To highlight the success of this approach, the event drew over 200 participants from various backgrounds representing more than 20 nations, including government and diplomatic officials from the EU, Basque Country, and other international and regional jurisdictions, as well as leaders in global commerce and trade, elite athletes and sports administrators, and even the acclaimed Welsh musician, academic and artist, Ani Saunders (stage name: Ani Glass). During the closing ceremony and post-event hospitality hosted by the Welsh Government International | Llywodraeth Cymru Rhyngwladol and Wales Arts International (WAI), Ani’s performance showcased the unique power of the fusion of music, culture, and sports in bringing people together for positive reasons.
The formal Congress audience, as well as those tuning in online across Europe and the world, heard pitches from more than 25 experts and dignitaries. A few examples include:
- The Mayor of the City of Donostia-San Sebastian (a Paradiplomat in action) on the municipality’s outward-focused, welcoming, and unique civic value proposition and commitment to international sports, cultural, and gastronomic events and activities.
- Professor Laura McAllister CBE, FLSW, FRSA , a former captain of the Wales national football team and current member of UEFA’s Executive Committee, discussed the innovative approach to football diplomacy undertaken by the Team Wales family of organizations during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. She also explored the challenges and opportunities for sports diplomacy at UEFA.
- Dr Stuart Murray of Bond University, Australia and Co-Founder of the global consulting agency Sports Diplomacy Alliance presented a new vision for the rapidly diversifying field of sports diplomacy studies. He was accompanied by a number of experts who presented on diverse topics, such as skateboarding diplomacy by Neftalie Williams, PhD , basketball diplomacy by Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff, PhD , and cycling diplomacy by Dr. Yoav Dubinsky, among other world-class contributions.
- Dr J Simon Rofe explored ‘Sport diplomacy and its role in international relations: the emerging scenario of the 21st century’.
The Congress enabled more layers to be added to our friendships, networks, and knowledge base of sports diplomacy. Key outcomes included:
- Highlighting the importance of embracing all forms of sport and physical pursuits as a prism through which to enable sports diplomacy outcomes. While they remain vitally important vectors for sports diplomacy, it is certainly not all about #football, #rugby, #cricket, or #athletics – all sports have a role to play and offer untapped seams of people-to-people engagement and huge potential to offer positive diplomatic value.
- Demonstrating the innate value and power of fusing sports (diplomacy) with #cultural relations, #music, #art, #language #film, #storytelling, #fashion and so much more!
- The intention to explore a return leg event in Wales or Australia in 2024, followed by a return to the wondrous city of Donostia, Basque Country the year after.
The Congress received extensive coverage in local and international radio, digital, and print media due to the thorough preparatory work carried out by the organizing Directors. This included content from online news outlets in English and Welsh from Wales (UK), as well as from Australia and the United States in English. Additionally, the event was covered in the Basque and Spanish languages through substantial coverage in Basque newspapers, public radio, and TV, and was complemented by a highly successful online global social media campaign.
Euskadi, as a relative newcomer in the field of sports diplomacy, aimed to benefit from Wales’ experience and knowledge. Wales has fully embraced sports diplomacy as part of its international positioning strategy. As a result, the Welsh Government International | Llywodraeth Cymru Rhyngwladol took an active role in the Congress, facilitating the exchange of ideas and experiences between the two sub-state entities (Euskadi and Cymru-Wales) and laying the groundwork for closer collaboration. Key actors in both nations plan to explore more options to build on this work through further sports and cultural diplomacy activities, as well as more traditional channels such as trade, tourism, and knowledge exchange in areas such as sustainability, renewables, and future generations policy and practice.
Since the Congress, several significant new sports diplomacy initiatives have emerged. Two major books are currently being prepared to gather input, research and expertise from academic experts, sports diplomacy practitioners, and policy experts. This effort will be enhanced by connections made in Donostia. Additionally, countries such as #Australia, #France, and #Wales have been increasing their international profile and value through greater investment in sports diplomacy. Australia has diversified and reinvested in its leading-edge 2030 Sports Diplomacy Strategy, France has been advancing several initiatives to align with the upcoming Paris Olympics, and Wales has once again showcased the value of combining cultural and sports diplomacy at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. There are many other examples of sports diplomacy evolving globally, involving a wide range of both state and non-state actors.
This is truly an exciting time for the research, policy and practice of global sports diplomacy – Watch this space for more to come!
Eskerrik asko, Diolch yn fawr, Gracias, Thank you,
Imanol Galdos, Donostia Kultura and Gavin Price, Sports Diplomacy Alliance
