KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

His primary research interests are in the areas of international relations and international political economy, with an emphasis on global governance, international organisations, geopolitics, diplomacy and sport. His current work is primarily concerned with examining how sport functions as a diplomatic resource through which states and non-state actors seek to build relationships, communicate values and acquire soft power.In contrast to much of the work on sports diplomacy in political science which fixates on contemporary events, Dr Woodward’s research adopts an historical lens. His investigations of past events such as the 1953 ascent of Mount Everest and the 1966 FIFA Football World Cup reveal important lessons for the growing cadre of foreign policy officials tasked with engaging in sport diplomacy, not least about the many ways in which attempts to advance diplomatic objectives through sport can misfire. His current projects include work on the 1982 FIFA Football World Cup and the diplomatic intrigues surrounding theexploitation of Himalayan mountains and mountaineers by leading states during the first half of the 20^th century.

He has published extensively on international organisations and global governance. His books includeThe Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (Routledge, 2009, second edition 2022) and (with Michael Davies) International Organizations: A Companion (Edward Elgar 2014). His work has also appeared in leading journals including New Political Economy, The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Political Quarterly, Economics Letters and Technovation.

About the lecture:

For a term that has only been in popular use for a little over 20 years, sport diplomacy is in rude health. Recently sport has shifted from a peripheral activity to one that is increasingly central to the foreign policy practices of many leading states, with a growing number codifying these efforts into formal sports diplomacy strategies underpinned by robust institutional support. At the same time, the scope of sports diplomacy has expanded to encompass a diverse array of actors – including international federations, clubs, and individuals athletes – and policy objectives from public diplomacy and soft power to trade promotion, tourism promotion, peacebuilding and reconciliation). This has been paralleled by the explosive expansion of scholarly interest including the development of dedicated academic journals and book series underpinning an increasingly sophisticated body of multidisciplinary scholarship.

The keynote anticipates the trajectory of sport diplomacy by advancing the proposition that its future may, in important respects, resemble the past. The expanding availability of archival material are revealing the deep and long-standing entanglement between sport and diplomacy across different periods and contexts. What is often presented as a novel within contemporary sport diplomacy frequently has an historical precedent and current strategies are often constrained by inherited assumptions and practices. By treating the past not merely as background but as a source of conceptual and policy innovation, this keynote argues for a more historically informed approach to understanding sport diplomacy’s future. Engaging more seriously with historical precedents enables academic research to uncover alternative pathways, recurring patterns, and overlooked practices that can support more imaginative, adaptive, and critically informed approaches to sport diplomacy in the years ahead. In short, the tendency of scholars and practitioner to fixate on the present risks overlooking a vital source of insight and policy inspiration: the past.