ABSTRACT
Russia, striving to improve its image in the world, is interested in using all opportunities to fulfill its interests, especially those related to the so-called “soft-power resource.” Sports as a special part of human culture carries an enormous supply of humanistic values and contributes to the establishment of intercultural dialogue. The use of the potential of sports to improve the image of a country and increase its international prestige should not be underestimated. As a result, a surge of interest in the study of the possibilities of sports as an instrument of international relations is noticeable in Russian science.
The purpose of the chapter is to show the evolution of sports research and sports diplomacy, to identify key issues and discussions, and to note the contribution of Russian scholars to global research on international cooperation in the field of sports.
The chapter discusses the main trends and approaches that characterize the Russian discourse of sports in international relations, reveals its specifics and trends, and presents its evolution, from the moment the first works appeared in the 1920s until the present. The primary focus is on the analysis of the current state of sports research in international relations and those key discussions that are related to understanding the role and place of sports in the modern world political space.
