Role Of Sports Diplomacy In Advancing National Interests In Africa: A Case Study Of Kenya

Abstract

This research examines sports which appears that Sports diplomacy has not been well reported as a apparatus or delicate control hypothesis methodology. This study aims at showing that Sports diplomacy has great potential and can be incorporated in foreign documents. This study was guided by the fundamental objectives that Sports strategy incorporates a incredible potential in progressing Africa’s national intrigued results. Sports diplomacy as a instrument or methodology in accomplishing national interface. Essentially, members within the sporting community will require special tasks when it comes to their part, before negating the state in working strategies to upstage sports for national development. Sports were found to be an activity that enjoys a wider scope than traditional diplomacy and has a wider audience and coverage by the media. Sports activities are used to convey social political and economic without raising eyebrow unlike traditional diplomatic methods. Competitions in sport are won or lost by states without necessarily resorting to violence, hence sport is uniting and can contribute to confidence building measures and bring adversaries together. The theoretical framework used in the study and data presentation used in the were found to be applicable as the research questions, objective and hypothesis of the research were found to relevant and applicable. Hence, the soft power theory by Joseph Nye runs through the study and showed how African states including Kenya can use Sports diplomacy as a strategy to advance national interests outcome. Regrettably, Sports diplomacy is not used in Kenya as a tool in advancing Kenya’s interest abroad. In conclusion, Sports diplomacy is an important field of interest which should be taken seriously by academicians and state policy makers, given that when combined with culture, it can boost the field of diplomacy in the 21st century in various ways in advancing national interests in Africa. It is recommended that Sports diplomacy be embedded in foreign policy documents and further research be conducted in the field of Sports diplomacy to explore more potential and seamless use by states