AUSTRALIAN SPORTS DIPLOMACY TOWARDS ASIA-TAKE THE BASKETBALL ENGAGEMENT AS AN EXAMPLE

Menghu Xia, Ting Xia

Abstract


This study aims to analyze Australian sports diplomacy toward Asia. According to the sports diplomacy expert Dr. Stuart Murray, "Sports-diplomacy exchanges can promote international understanding and friendship, as well as dispel stereotypes and prejudices." Australia is an Oceanian state well-known for its sports excellence and culture. Because of its geographical location and history, Asian partners have never been neglected or forgotten by the administrators since Britain colonized the land in 1788. Over the years, there has been a clear trend that Australia is employing its sports diplomacy and increasingly engaging with Asia. This study uses the Australian basketball engagement towards Asia as an example of its sports diplomacy towards Asia. Reviewing the Australian government's official guiding documents,' Australia in the Asian Century White Paper, Australian Sports Diplomacy Strategy 2015-18, Sports Diplomacy 2030, the authors conclude that Australia is increasingly engaging with Asia with its sports diplomacy, including basketball diplomacy. As a result, Australia has acquired a better international reputation and international relations in Asia. Hence, sports diplomacy has become a valuable tool for Australia to exert soft power and enhance international relations in Asia.

Keywords


Sports diplomacy, Australian basketball, Australia-Asia, International relations in sports

Full Text:

PDF

References


years on, Ping-Pong Diplomacy shows lasting value. (2021). Beijing review.

Australia in the Asian Century White Paper (2012).

Australian Sports Diplomacy Strategy 2015-18. (2014). Canberra

Basketball Without Borders launches at the AIS. (2022). Retrieved from https://australia.basketball/basketball-without-borders-launches-at-the-ais/

Chirathivat, S., Rutchatorn, B., & Devendrakumar, A. (2022). China's Belt and Road Initiative and Its Implications for ASEAN: An Introduction. In China's Belt and Road Initiative in ASEAN: Growing Presence, Recent Progress and Future Challenges (pp. 1-22).

Gao, J. (2022). Riding on the waves of transformation in the Asia-Pacific: Chinese migration to Australia since the late 1980s. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 48(4), 933-950.

Hides, M. (2015). NBL expects Asia to play a big part in Australian basketball's development. ABC news. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-25/mark-hides-nbl-feature/6804864

Howard, L. (2022). Asia skills critical to Australia's economic future and security. Retrieved from https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/asia-skills-critical-australia-s-economic-future-security

Kobierecki, M. M. (2020). Sports diplomacy: Sports in the diplomatic activities of states and non-state actors: Lexington Books.

Larkin, S. (2019). Australia to debut at 2022 Asian Games. The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved from https://www.smh.com.au/sport/australia-to-debut-at-2022-asian-games-20190305-p511va.html

Logue, M. (July 25, 2022). Thon Maker stars as Australia wins second straight Asia Cup title. News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom. Retrieved from https://www.news.com.au/sport/basketball/basketball-2022-all-the-latest-news-from-the-three-asia-cup-qualifiers-in-indonesia/news-story/8f4a0e2996d20add17a0c4ae1d4f94f6

Masuhr, N., & Schepers, N. (2021). AUKUS: Below the Surface. CSS Analyses in Security Policy(300).

Murray, S. (2013). Sports diplomacy in the Australian context: A case study of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Sports Law and Governance Journal, 1(1), 6399.

Murray, S. (2017). Sports diplomacy in the Australian context: Theory into strategy. Politics & Policy, 45(5), 841-861.

Murray, S., & Pigman, G. A. (2014). Mapping the relationship between international sport and diplomacy. Sport in Society, 17(9), 1098-1118.

PARRISH, R. (2021). Case Studies of Non-EU Sport Diplomacy: UK, US, Australia, China & Qatar.

Rebecca Ratcliffe, D. C. a. A. F. (2022). 125 dead after crowd crush at Indonesian football match. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/02/indonesia-football-fans-killed-east-java-arema-malang

Richelieu, A., Lin, Y.-C., & Leng, H. K. (2021). A Typology of Countries Using Place Branding Through Sport. Journal of Global Sport Management, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-19. doi:10.1080/24704067.2021.1972431

Scanlan, A. T., & Dalbo, V. J. (2019). Improving practice and performance in basketball. In (Vol. 7, pp. 197): MDPI.

Sports Diplomacy 2030. (2019). Canberra

Stoddart, B. (2008). The Centrality of Cricket in Indo-Australian relations: India, Australia and the 'Cricket Imaginary'. International journal of the history of sport, 25(12), 1671-1685. doi:10.1080/09523360802327533

Ward, R. (2015). Boomers to move into Asia, play regular games as part of FIBA changes. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from https://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/boomers-to-move-into-asia-play-regular-games-as-part-of-fiba-changes-20150814-giz9iv.html

Wildes, H. (2022). Opals suffer heartbreak at FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, but bronze is still up for grabs. ABC. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-01/opals-heartbreak-semi-final-defeat-bronze-medal-play-off/101493486

Winter, B. (2021). Right place, time: How NBL secured one of its biggest coups ever in Chinese superstar Zhou Qi. Fox Sports. Retrieved from https://www.foxsports.com.au/basketball/nbl/right-place-right-time-how-nbl-secured-one-of-its-biggest-coups-ever-in-chinese-superstar-zhou-qi/news-story/f04d4739856d794f19b7ca62524e9550

Xue, Y. (2022). Fear and Greed: Mapping the Australian Debate on China's Economic Sanctions. Pacific focus, 37(1), 5-35.

Zhao, C., & Knijnik, J. (2021). Women's Tennis Diplomacy: Australia-China Cultural Relations and Li Na as a Sports Celebrity Diplomat of the Australian Open. International journal of sport policy and politics, 13(2), 341-358. doi:10.1080/19406940.2021.1928732


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.