Sports Exchange as a Tool of Shaping State’s Image: The Case of China

Abstract

China is a country that employs a number of tools in order to shape its positive international perception� Sport plays an important role in this area� The aim of the research is to investigate the issue of sports exchanges and their role in shaping international image of China� The analysis is an empirical case study and is aimed at answering a research question concerning how sports exchanges may be used in order to shape a desired international image of a country� According to the main hypothesis to be tested in the article, through sports exchanges China managed to make a swift from the old, unidirectional sports diplomacy, to a more dialogue-oriented, reciprocal form�