INFLUENCE OF 20TH-CENTURY POLITICAL PROCESSES ON SPORTS DEVELOPMENT, THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT, GEOPOLITICS, AND INTERNATIONAL SPORTS DIPLOMACY

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of major 20th-century political processes on the development of global sports, particularly the Olympic movement, and the intersections of geopolitics and international sports diplomacy. Drawing on historical sources, it examines changes in sports during the World Wars, how decolonization made sports a symbol of national legitimacy for new states, and the symbolic rivalry between the USA and USSR in sports during the Cold War. The paper highlights instances of political expression in sports (e.g., Olympic boycotts and podium protests) and the use of sports as a tool in international diplomacy (such as ping-pong diplomacy improving U.S.-China relations). In conclusion, despite the Olympic ideals of peace and friendship, sports and politics are shown to be deeply intertwined, with sports events often serving great power geopolitical aims throughout the 20th century.