Small Sporting Events as a Sports Diplomacy Tool. The Example of the Friendly Football Match between Basque Country Women's National Football Team and the Czech Republic

Abstract

Many research articles focus on international sporting events that have the potential to gain a global audience, such as the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cups. These sporting events could be valuable sports diplomacy tools for the hosting countries, strengthening the hosting nation’s soft power. However, the majority of the international sporting events could be described as small, with just a limited number of fans. On the other hand, as this article demonstrates on the example of the friendly football match between Basque Country Women's National Football Team and the Czech Republic that took place in November 2017, this kind of sporting event could be used as a relatively successful sports diplomacy tool (concerning its limited audience).