Untapped potential of sports for Nepal’s soft power
With proper investment in infrastructure and athletes, Nepal can become a strong contender on the global stage. The support for athletes of every sport and enthusiastic cricket fan base indicate a promising future for Nepal to use sports as a tool for enhancing its global profile and soft power.
Sports transcend borders, cultures, ideologies and bring people together. It has long been a source of unity and competition among nations. Sports and athletic events provide a platform to foster international relations, promote peace, and build cultural exchanges between nations. Diplomacy in sports began in ancient Greece in 776 BC, where the Olympic Truce ensured the safety of athletes and spectators coming from different parts of the world by laying down their weapons during the Olympic Games.
Harvard University International Relations theorist Joseph Nye coined the term “soft power” in the 1990s. According to Nye, soft power is ‘the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion’. The elements of soft power include diplomacy, foreign aid, democracy, culture, institutions, cinema, the internet, sports, etc.
Sports are not only an element of soft power but also a tool of public diplomacy. Sports can figure in all areas of public diplomacy. Soft power has gained a reputation in international relations in the modern world, where sports play a highly significant role as it serves as a non-political bridge between nations to enhance cultural exchange, promote peace and people to people relations. Hosting international sporting events tempts every country with the capacity to host, as the hosts can brand events to spread any particular message to the world.
In addition to that, winning at a major event can raise or maintain the profile of an actor. Sports is one area in which Palestinians can attempt to achieve international standing and appear in the role of an independent country. The quest for national prestige is a primary driving force behind every country’s participation in international sporting events.
Nepal has a unique geopolitical existence positioned between two emerging superpowers. It doesn’t figure prominently on the global map in terms of economic and military prowess or in terms of hard power. As a relatively small state with noticeable diversity in culture, tradition, religion and geography, Nepal has various soft power assets at its disposal to enhance its global recognition.
However, there is a significant asymmetry between Nepal and its neighbors and other globally impactful countries in terms of population, resources, influence in global politics and the economy. In that context, leveraging soft power becomes invaluable for Nepal to enhance its global prestige and among its various options, sports can be a powerful tool. Sports have been a major means of strengthening national unity and establishing national identity in the international arena. Developing and expanding sports would create healthy, competent, and disciplined citizens and establish Nepal’s identity while increasing its respect in the global stage.
Nepal’s official foreign policy document also mentions sport as a medium to promote its soft power. Nepal participated in an international sporting event for the first time at the Asian games held in New Delhi in 1951. Nepal has participated in every Olympic game since its first participation in 1964, except in the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games. Bidhan Lama won Nepal’s first Olympic bronze in the demonstration event of Taekwondo in the Olympics (1988), but was not officially recognized. Palesha Govardhan won a bronze medal in the recently held Paris Paralympics in 2024 in the 57 kg Taekwondo event. Sabitra Bhandari, aka ‘Samba,’ Nepal’s women football icon is currently playing for the French women’s first division club EV Avant Guingamp.
The world was surprised to learn about the huge fan following of Nepal cricket in the recently held ICC T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the USA, the International Cricket Council (ICC) was posting and sharing the content, including posts about Nepal, time and again acknowledging the Nepali fan base. A famous cricket commentator, Ian Bishop, also praised the Nepali crowd as they had painted the whole Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas in a sea of red and blue with Nepal’s beautiful jersey.
Logan Van Beek, the Dutch medium pacer in the same game was unsure whether the game was being held in Nepal or Dallas because the crowd was so loud cheering for Nepal. These fans went to support Nepal with Nepali flags, ‘Panche Baja’, wearing ‘Dhaka Topi’, posters showing Buddha and Sagarmatha. This portrays sports can not only be a source of soft power but also a medium to promote other soft power elements and garner attention of the world community. These events highlight Nepal’s potential to gain international recognition through sports. With proper investment in infrastructure and athletes, Nepal can become a strong contender on the global stage. The support for athletes of every sport and enthusiastic cricket fan base indicate a promising future for Nepal to use sports as a tool for enhancing its global profile and soft power.
The Cricket Association of Nepal’s logo has one horned rhinoceros in an effort to promote the iconic animal and to attract tourists to Nepal. Nepali ‘Dhaka Topi’ is quite famous these days in the associate cricket world, thanks to our very own Andrew Leonard ‘Taklu Dai’, an Irish cricket commentator who mostly covers associate cricket commentary. European countries like Croatia, Denmark which are smaller in size and population than Nepal are regularly participating in FIFA world cup which have positively impacted their tourism industry. Nepal can do the same via sports by participating or hosting such events. While hosting global sports events like the FIFA World Cup, Olympic, Cricket World Cup might seem far from reality as of now, we can host regional events and other events unique to us such as Elephant Polo and Himalayan-based sports like cycling and marathon in the hills, etc. to promote our culture, natural beauty and hospitality. Such events not only promote tourism but also enhance our prestige.
Recognition also aids in cultural diplomacy. Which will have a significant positive impact on our economic growth. Climate change has affected Nepal to a large extent. Organizing sporting events based on hills and mountains provide a good platform to share our story with the world and advocate for addressing such consequences of climate change.
When Nepal plays an international game, whether it is at Tribhuvan University cricket ground, Dasarath Stadium, or anywhere else in the world, it brings all the Nepalis together and unites them as one people forgetting their ethnicity, religion, culture, ideology, or geography. Their common identity becomes that of Nepali. With a significant portion of the youth population interested in sports in Nepal, if local leagues with improved training facilities are developed, sports can play a pivotal role in our soft power arsenal, generate significant goodwill towards Nepal, shape others’ perceptions of our country and enhance Nepal’s image on the global stage.
