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THE POWER OF SPORT AND SMALL STATES: SPORTS DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN QATAR
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2026-06
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Sara Al-Naimi_OGS Approved Dissertation.pdf
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- Embargoed until 2028-07-01
Abstract
This dissertation explores the development of sports diplomacy in Qatar between 1995 and 2022, emphasizing its role as a small Gulf state in leveraging sport for soft power, nation-branding, geopolitical positioning and sport development. As the first Middle Eastern and Muslim-majority country to host the FIFA World Cup, Qatar illustrates how sports mega events (SMEs) can elevate visibility, reshape global perceptions, and challenge Western-centric narratives. Key milestones—including the 2006 Asian Games, the 2011 Pan-Arab Games, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup—are analyzed within the context of Qatar’s modernization under Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani (1995-2013), the leadership transition to Sheikh Tamim in 2013, and shifting Gulf geopolitics. The research adopts an interpretivist–constructivist framework, combining Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) with semi-structured interviews to explore how discourse constructs meaning within Qatar’s sports diplomacy. It examines the role of state actors—such as male and female members of the royal family, Qatar Foundation (QF), Qatar Museums (QM), the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), and—in shaping narratives of legitimacy, Arab-Islamic identity, and cultural dialogue. While Qatar has enhanced its international profile, these efforts remain contested by critiques of “sportswashing” and “greenwashing.” Ultimately, the study situates Qatar’s sports diplomacy as a dynamic case of how small states engage with orientalist legacies, negotiate global power asymmetries, and articulate self-defined narratives of identity within international sport discourse.