Global Sport in the Age of Authoritarian Power

1. The Authoritarian Turn in Global Sport
Jon Sullivan, Ricardo Gúdel and Emilio Hernández

2. Authoritarian Middle Powers and Sport: The Role of Niche Diplomacy in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Mordechai Chaziza

3. Qatar vs. Saudi Arabia: FIFA World Cups 2022 & 2034 – Regional Rivalry or Economic Strategy
Mahdi Shariati

4. Qatar’s Foreign Policy and Sports Diplomacy: Soft Power, Ideology, and Strategic Interests
Sergio Castaño

5. Messi, Maradona and Gulf Soft Power: Argentina in the Geopolitics of Sport
Nahuel Faedo

6. Sport under ‘Top-Level Design’: Political Steering and Authoritarian Consolidation in Xi Jinping’s China
Ilker Gündogan

7. An Alternative Sports Order? A Study of Sino-Russian Olympic Diplomacy
Emidio Diodato and Veronica Strina

8. Cue Sports Superpower: How China Conquered Snooker and Pool
Jon Sullivan

9. Comparative Strategies for E-sports Development in China and Saudi Arabia
Jon Sullivan, Tobias Ross and Conrad Sullivan

10. The Evolution of Hungarian Sports Power: From the ‘Miracle of Bern’ to Contemporary Investments
Adam Metelski

11. Performing Openness: The Pyongyang Marathon and the Architecture of Authoritarian Control
Gema Pérez Tapia

12. Singapore’s Strategic Playbook: Engagement with International Sport
Donna Wong

13. Sporting Ambitions, Geopolitical Goals: Morocco’s Strategic Use of International Sport
Fernando Gutiérrez-Chico and Carlos Pulleiro

14. Gendered Governance in Global Sport: Iranian Women’s Football Fandom
Catherine Phipps and Ali Afrouzeh

15. Making the State Visible: Rwanda’s Minimalist Model of Sports Diplomacy
Ricardo Gúdel and Guillermo Nalda

16. Sport in the 21st Century: The Journey from Authoritarianism to Liberalism and Back Again
Simon Chadwick

Biography

Jonathan Sullivan is an Associate Professor in Politics and IR at the University of Nottingham. He is a China specialist and political scientist. His work spans political communication, digital politics, foreign relations and sport. Recent books include Taiwan: A contested democracy under threat (2024) and Football, business and state power in contemporary China (2026). His latest book focuses on China’s digital influencer (wanghong) cultural economy.

Ricardo Fernández Gúdel is a Lecturer in Business Management and International Trade at the University of Valladolid, where he is affiliated with the Asian Studies Centre within the Faculty of Commerce and Labour Relations. He also serves as Director of the Observatory of Sport, Leisure and Tourism at the same faculty. His research focuses on sports management and sports diplomacy, with particular emphasis on Asia and ownership structures in the global sports industry.

Emilio Hernández-Correa is a Lecturer in International Trade and Cultural Intelligence at the University of Valladolid. He serves as Deputy Director of the Asian Studies Centre. His research focuses on the Chinese sports industry, outbound Chinese tourism and its economic impact, international trade with China, and intercultural relations within organisations. He has extensive professional and research experience in China, particularly in the tourism and trade sectors, and has recently published his first book on Chinese global governance.