Abstract
The State of Qatar, a sovereign Arab State, has recently embarked on an ambitious sports-led venture. This has seen the state host numerous global sporting events, secure overseas sports-related acquisitions, and fund the infrastructure of world-class sports infrastructure. This chapter discusses the role of such sporting forms by situating them within Qatar’s wider soft power ambitions. Most specifically, through conducting interviews with Qatari personnel in 2012, we highlight how state authorities are using global sport – and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in particular – to overcome issues related to health and well-being; progress and modernization; and peace and security. We also introduce here the concept of ‘soft disempowerment’, and in doing so we uncover Qatar’s recent loss of international attractiveness and influence.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Amara, M. (2005). 2006 ‘Qatar Asian Games: A “Modernization” Project from Above?’ Sport in Society, Culture, Commerce, Media, Politics, 8, 3, 493–514.
Campbell, R. (2010). ‘Staging Globalization for National Projects: Global Sport Markets and Elite Athletic Transnational Labour in Qatar’. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 46, 1, 45–60.
Chalip, L. (2005). ‘Marketing, Media, and Place Promotion’ in J. Higham (ed.), Sport Tourism Destinations: Issues, Opportunities and Analysis. Oxford: Elsevier.
Chiba, N., O. Ebihara and S. Morino (2001). ‘Globalization, Naturalization and Identity: The Case of Borderless Elite Athletes in Japan’. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 36, 2, 203–221.
Grix, J. and B. Houlihan (2013). ‘Sports Mega-Events as Part of a Nation’s Soft Power Strategy: The Cases of Germany (2006) and the UK (2012)’. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, published online i-first: doi: 10.1111/1467–856X.12017.
International Association for the Study of Obesity (2012a). Global Obesity Regional Top 5. Available at http://www.iaso.org/site_media/library/resource_images/Global_Obesity_Top_5_in_each_region.pdf (accessed 17 January 2014).
International Association for the Study of Obesity (2012b). Global Trends in Children. Available at http://www.iaso.org/site_media/library/resource_images/Children_trends_global_2012.pdf (accessed 17 January 2014).
Mangan, J. (2011). ‘The New Asia: Global Transformation, Regional Ascendancy, and Metaphorical Modernity’. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 28, 16, 2229–2239.
Nye, J. (2008). ‘Public Diplomacy and Soft Power’. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616, 1, 94–109. Qatar National Health Strategy 2011–2016. Nutrition and Physical Activity: Project in Detail. Available at http://www.nhsq.info/strategy-goals-and-projects/preventative-healthcare/nutrition-andphysical-activity/project-in-detail (accessed 17 January 2014).
Said, E. (1977). Orientalism. New York: Penguin.
Vuving, Alexander L. (2009). ‘How Soft Power Works’. Paper presented at American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, 3 September.
Whitelegg, D. (2000). ‘Going for Gold: Atlanta’s Bid for Fame’. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 24, 4, 801–817.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2014 Paul Michael Brannagan and Richard Giulianotti
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brannagan, P.M., Giulianotti, R. (2014). Qatar, Global Sport and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In: Grix, J. (eds) Leveraging Legacies from Sports Mega-Events: Concepts and Cases. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137371188_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137371188_14
Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-47548-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-37118-8
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social Sciences CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)