The Sport : an European Union’s New Soft Power Tool

Abstract

Since the twentieth century, sports have developed based on their
“eternal values,” as set forth by Pierre de Coubertin; these values
have been transmitted by the Olympic Games and have gradually
become institutionalized worldwide. By being included in programs
such as Europe’s Erasmus student exchange or projects with nonmember
states, “sports diplomacy” has acquired a dimension that
is social, cultural, political, and even “linguistic,” both within and
outside the EU. This has made it a pillar of public diplomacy that
relies on neither propaganda nor any overt governmental influence.