Comparing the Sports Diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Qatar

In today's world, sports diplomacy is considered as one of the most important factors for producing soft power for the countries. The purpose of this research is to compare the sports diplomacy of Iran and one of the countries of the Persian Gulf region, Qatar, which has made significant achievements in this field. The main question of this research is, what are the similarities and differences between the sports diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Qatar? This research was done by using a comparative method, and the method of collecting information is the library. The theoretical foundations of this research are based on Joseph Nye's soft power, as the use of sports diplomacy is one of the tools of soft power. The Findings of this research show that in the field of investment in sports, the country of Qatar has made huge expenses to promote sports diplomacy. While the state of investment and sports facilities and infrastructure in Iran is experiencing disorder. In terms of power and influence in international sports forums and in terms of obtaining the privileges of hosting world-class and prestigious competitions Qatar has more ideal conditions than Iran; But in winning international sports honors, Iran has performed better due to its large population compared to Qatar. In the field of sports development, Qatar has more significant progress and development than Iran, and finally, Qatar benefits from a better media power than Iran to promote sports diplomacy and gain soft power.