The Use of Soft Power in Sports: The Case of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study examines Saudi Arabia's use of soft power in the field of sports, revealing the country's efforts to strengthen its global image through its sports strategies. The concept of soft power refers to the strategies countries employ to exert influence internationally without resorting to military or economic pressure, through elements such as culture, diplomacy, media, and sports. The study utilised the document analysis method from qualitative research designs. Access to the document used as the data set was obtained through the Play the Game website. The data obtained from the relevant document was analysed using content analysis. The findings of the study indicate that Saudi Arabia's sports investments and organisational strategies are part of a long-term plan aimed not only at achieving sporting success but also at enhancing its effectiveness in international relations. Investments in popular sports such as football, boxing, golf, MMA and e-sports in particular demonstrate this plan. It is also noteworthy that the vast majority of influential figures in sports organisations are men. Another noteworthy finding is that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has signed partnership agreements with two international football federations, forty-five national football federations, and six football clubs. The extent to which these strategies will be successful and whether the steps taken to increase women's participation in sports will be effective can be evaluated more comprehensively in future studies.

Keywords

• Sports
• Soft power
• Saudi Arabia

Sporda Yumuşak Güç Kullanımı: Suudi Arabistan Örneği

Abstract

Bu araştırma, Suudi Arabistan’ın spor alanındaki yumuşak güç kullanımını inceleyerek, ülkenin spor stratejileriyle küresel imajını güçlendirmeye yönelik çabalarını ortaya koymaktadır. Yumuşak güç kavramı, ülkelerin uluslararası alanda askeri veya ekonomik baskılara başvurmadan, kültür, diplomasi, medya ve spor gibi unsurlar üzerinden etki kurma stratejilerini ifade eder. Araştırmada nitel araştırma desenlerinden doküman analizi yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Veri seti olarak yararlanılan dokümana Play the Game internet sitesi üzerinden erişim sağlanmıştır. İlgili dokümandan elde edilen veriler içerik analizi yöntemi ile incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın bulguları, Suudi Arabistan’ın spor yatırımları ve organizasyon stratejilerinin sadece sportif başarılar değil, aynı zamanda uluslararası ilişkilerdeki etkinliğini artırmayı amaçlayan uzun vadeli bir planın parçası olduğunu göstermektedir. Özellikle futbol, boks, golf, MMA ve e-spor gibi popüler spor branşlarına yapılan yatırımlar bu planı ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca spor organizasyonlarında etkili isimlerin büyük çoğunluğunun erkek olması dikkat çekmektedir. Diğer bir dikkat çekici bulgu, Suudi Arabistan Futbol Federasyonunun iki uluslararası futbol federasyonu, kırk beş ulusal futbol federasyonu ve altı futbol kulübü ile ortaklık anlaşması imzalamasıdır. Bu stratejilerin ne kadar başarılı olacağı ve kadınların spora katılımı konusunda atılan adımların etkili olup olmayacağı ise gelecekte yapılacak araştırmalarla daha kapsamlı bir şekilde değerlendirilebilecektir.

Keywords

• Spor
• Yumuşak güç
• Suudi Arabistan

References

1. Ahmed, Z. S., & Karim, U. (2024). Saudi Arabia’s soft power in Pakistan. Journal of Political Power, 17(1), 42–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2024.2341024 Al Dubayan, M. (2021). Gender as symbolic capital and symbolic violence in leadership: The context of Saudi leaders. Doctoral thesis, Brunel University, London.
2. Aldossari, M., & Calvard, T. (2022). The politics and ethics of resistance, feminism and gender equality in Saudi Arabian organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 181(4), 873–890. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04949-3
3. Alessa, N. A., Shalhoob, H. S., & Almugarry, H. A. (2022). Saudi Women’s economic empowerment in light of Saudi vision 2030: Perception, challenges and opportunities. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 12(1), 316-334. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2022-0025
4. Alkatheeri, A.R., & Khan, M. (2019). A perspective on Saudi soft power and cultural diplomacy. Global Social Sciences Review, 4(2), 20–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-II).03
5. Alkharji, A.A.S. (2023). Responses of UN human rights bodies to human trafficking and modern-day slavery in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization, 131, 43-59.
6. Almahraj, Y. A. (2023). British press coverage of international sports events hosted by Saudi Arabia: Content analysis study in light of country concept model. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02266-w
7. Alobaidy, M. (2021). Saudi Arabia’s soft power: nation branding, public and cultural diplomacy. Arab News. https://www.arabnews.com/node/1799531/saudi-arabia%E2%80%99s-soft-power-nation-branding-public-and-cultural-diplomacy Erişim tarihi: 15.01.2025
8. Balcı, A. (2016). Sosyal bilimlerde araştırma yöntem, teknik ve ilkeler. Pegem.

9. Baş, T., ve Akturan, U. (2017). Sosyal bilimlerde bilgisayar destekli nitel araştırma yöntemleri. Seçkin.
10. Bennett, W.L., & Livingston, S. (2020). The Disinformation age: Politics, technology, and disruptive communication in the United States. Cambridge University Press.
11. Bergkvist, L., & Skeiseid, H. (2024). Sportswashing: Exploiting sports to clean the dirty laundry. International Journal of Advertising, 43(6), 1091–1109. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2024.2310937
12. Bianco, C., & Sons, S. (2023). More than a game: Football and soft power in the gulf. The International Spectator, 58(2), 92–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/03932729.2023.2196810
13. Bunthorn, K. (2023). Soft power in India’s act east policy: A Cambodian perspective. India Quarterly, 79(2), 189-208. https://doi.org/10.1177/09749284231165110
14. Chandler, P. (2015). Resilience and the everyday: Beyond the paradox of liberal peace. Review of International Studies, 41(1), 27–48. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210513000533
15. Cogan, M. S. (2024). Thailand’s new soft power focus and the makings of a paradox. Asian Affairs: An American Review, 51(2), 90–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/00927678.2024.2333684
16. Davis, L., Plumley, D., & Wilson, R. (2023). For the love of ‘sportswashing’; LIV Golf and Saudi Arabia’s push for legitimacy in elite sport. Managing Sport and Leisure, 30(2) 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2022.2162953
17. Demir, M. (2020). Endüstriyel futbol ve futbolda teknoloji kullanımı. TRT Akademi, 5(9), 356-375.
18. Dorosh, L., & Voiat, B. (2022). Soft Power of the Russian Federation: Instrumental and perceptional dimensions. Russian Politics, 7(1), 31-68. https://doi.org/10.30965/24518921-00604011
19. Eryılmaz, S., ve Deniz, G. (2019). Türkiye’de programlama eğitimi ile ilgili yapılan çalışmaların incelenmesi: Bir betimsel analiz çalışması. Eğitimde Kuram ve Uygulama, 15(4), 319-338. https://doi.org/10.17244/eku.645387
20. Ettinger, A. (2023). Saudi Arabia, sports diplomacy and authoritarian capitalism in world politics. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 15(3), 531–547. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2023.2206402
21. Eum, I. (2019). New women for a new Saudi Arabia? Gendered analysis of Saudi vision 2030 and women’s reform policies. Asian Women, 35(3), 115–133. https://doi.org/10.14431/aw.2019.09.35.3.115
22. Gallarotti, G. M. (2022). Esteem and influence: Soft power in international politics. Journal of Political Power, 15(3), 383–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2022.2135303
23. Gauttam, P., Singh, B., Singh, S., Bika, S. L., & Tiwari, R. P. (2023). Education as a soft power resource: A systematic review. Heliyon, 10(1), Article e23736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23736
24. Grix, J., Brannagan, P. M., & Houlihan, B. (2015). Interrogating states’ soft power strategies: A case study of sports mega-events in Brazil and the UK. Global Society, 29(3), 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600826.2015.1047743
25. Hahm, S. D., Heo, U., & Song, S. (2023). Comparative analysis of soft power between South Korea and the United States: A Theoretical mechanism approach. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 60(1), 157-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/00219096231168065
26. Henne, P. S., & Öztürk, A. E. (2022). The practice of soft power. Religions, 13(9), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090805
27. Imawan, R., Zuliansyah, Z., & Surwandono, S. (2024). Empowering saudi women for sports as response to Saudi vision 2030: An analytical study. Journal of Islamic World and Politics, 8(2), 167–181. https://doi.org/10.18196/jiwp.v8i2.106
28. Jarvie, G. (2021). Sport, soft power and cultural relations. Journal of Global Sport Management, 9(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2021.1952093
29. Jeong, J., Grix, J. V., & Grix, L. (2024). The role of sports mega-events in China’s unique soft power strategy. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04116-9
30. Kang, Y., & Houlihan, B. (2021). Sport as a diplomatic resource: The case of South Korea, 1970-2017. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 13(1), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2021.1877169
31. Kıral, B. (2020). Nitel bir veri analizi yöntemi olarak doküman analizi. Siirt Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 8(15), 170-189.
32. Lee, J. W. (2020). Sport diplomacy at the 2018 winter olympics in PyeongChang: The relations between North and South Korea. In F. Hong & L. Zhouxiang (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of sport in Asia (pp. 227–237). Routledge.
33. Lysa, C. (2020). Fighting for the right to play: Women’s football and regime-loyal resistance in Saudi Arabia. Third World Quarterly, 41(5), 842–859. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2020.1723075
34. MacDonald, S. (2020). Sources of soft power: How Perceptions determine the success of Nations. British Council.
35. Marlin-Bennett, R. (2022). Soft power’s dark side. Journal of Political Power, 15(3), 437–455. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2022.2128278
36. Mattern, J.B. (2005). Why soft power isn’t so soft: representational force and the sociolinguistic construction of attraction in world politics. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 33(3), 583–612. https://doi.org/10.1177/03058298050330031601
37. Næss, H.E. (2023). A figurational approach to soft power and sport events. The case of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Frontiers in Sports Active Living 5, Article 1142878. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1142878
38. Nye Jr, J. S. (2008). Public diplomacy and soft power. The Annals of The American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 94-109. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716207311699
39. Nye, J. S. (2004). Soft power: The means to success in world politics. Public affairs.
40. Nye, J.S. (2002). The Information revolution and American soft power. Asia-Pacific Review, 9(1), 60-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/13439000220141596
41. Play the Game, (2024). Play the game publishes fresh dataset exposing Saudi Arabia’s enormous influence in world sports. https://www.playthegame.org/news/play-the-game-publishes-fresh-dataset-exposing-saudi-arabia-s-enormous-influence-in-world-sports/ Erişim tarihi: 28.02.2025
42. Rappeport, A., 2019. Saudi Arabia embraces western sports to rehabilitate global image. The New York Times. Erişim adresi: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/business/economy/saudi-arabia-image-sports.html Erişim tarihi: 16.03.2025
43. Santos, N. de A. e S. F. dos. (2021). The interplay of soft power and sharp power in sport diplomacy: A conceptual framework. Journal of Global Sport Management, 9(4), 651–669. https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2021.1952092
44. Satish, K., Ginesta Portet, X., & De San Eugenio Vela, J. (2024). Football and nation branding: A case study of Saudi Arabia’s strategy for global football recognition. AdComunica, 27, 27–52. https://doi.org/10.6035/adcomunica.7776
45. Yıldırım, A., ve Şimşek, H. (2021). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (12. Baskı). Seçkin.
46. Yücetürk, C., ve Keskin, Y. B. (2022). Otoriter rejimlerin aklanma yöntemi olarak Sportswashing: Suudi Arabistan Krallığı örneği. Karadeniz Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 14(26), 118-134. https://doi.org/10.38155/ksbd.1097935