Today ISCA and our partners from the Grassroots Sport Diplomacy project have published a series of policy recommendations as a driver for action, further debate and development in this brand new field. We encourage readers of the recommendations to comment, critique and share them with relevant stakeholders. It is only when we are in engaged dialogue that will we be able to make the most of this exciting new field of Grassroots Sport Diplomacy. It’s time for action!

International relations have undergone profound changes in recent decades. The number of actors has multiplied and situations have become more and more complicated, making it necessary to create new concepts in order to understand these evolutions. Due to its growing importance from political, economic, diplomatic and social points of view, sport is a versatile sector that can have a broad reach and impact in this field.

Grassroots Sport Diplomacy is a new concept we have pioneered to recognise the growing impact of grassroots sport in connecting communities and facilitating diplomatic actions. It is a concept that has great potential to deliver impact for citizens across the world, as well as for governments, policy makers and stakeholders. To release this potential, it is important that the relevant partners understand and play their part.

This is why we have developed these Grassroots Sport Diplomacy Policy Recommendations together with our partners from the EU-supported project that gave rise to the concept. The document offers suggestions to governments, NGOs and individuals, respectively, on how to engage in and expand the potential of Grassroots Sport Diplomacy.

Feel free to use them to start the conversation in your organisation, with local authorities or other stakeholders who can help facilitate diplomatic actions through grassroots sport.

Download and share the Grassroots Sport Diplomacy Policy Recommendations

The Grassroots Sport Diplomacy Policy Recommendations were developed by the following project partners: International Sport and Culture Association (coordinator), European Observatory of Sport and Employment (France), Think Tank Sport and Citizenship (France), French Institute for International and Strategic Studies (France), Danish National Olympic Committee and Sport Confederation (Denmark), UBAE (Spain), UISP (Italy), National School, University and Leisure Sport Federation (Hungary), Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (Portugal), and SESC São Paulo (Brazil).