A Comparative Study of Sports Diplomacy Practices and Experiences in Islamic Republic of Iran and Selected Countries

The purpose of this study was to review the experiences of sports diplomacy in selected countries and compare them with Islamic Republic of Iran. The method of this study is descriptive-analytical which according to the type of study, George Berdy comparative study method was used. Countries surveyed in the comparative research section include USA, Germany, France, Japan, United Kingdom and Islamic Republic of Iran. The reason for selecting the countries mentioned is their successful activities and proper organization as the leading countries in the field of sports diplomacy. Information from these countries was gathered through searches of websites, scientific articles, and research inside and outside of Iran, related books, documents, and evidences. It was also collected through interview with diplomats, professors, experts and stakeholders in the field of sports diplomacy in Iran. The statistical population of the study consisted of senior political-sport managers of the country who had managerial and executive records in the field of sport and politics. The statistical sample consisted of 12 elites who were selected by available sampling and snowball method. The result showed that in the leading countries in the field of sports diplomacy, many activities were carried out at macro level, which were classified into three categories of active sports diplomacy institutions, sports diplomacy priorities and measures taken to enhance this diplomacy. The situation of Iran sports diplomacy indicates that there is no proper planning and policy making with the approach of sports diplomacy in the country. Therefore, it could be declared that since the determination of each country's foreign policy is influenced by many variables, the Islamic Republic can use sports diplomacy as a facilitating tool for foreign policy implementation by modeling successful countries.