KUALA LUMPUR: Prominent Malaysian editor and journalist Haresh Deol’s maiden book, The Routledge Handbook of Sports Diplomacy, is set to deepen readers’ understanding of sports diplomacy by examining its increasingly important role in international relations.
Haresh, co-founder and editor of Twentytwo13, joins leading experts Dr J. Simon Rofe, Dr Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff, Dr Thierry Zintz and Dr Richard Parrish as co-editors of the handbook.
Rofe, a leading scholar in sports diplomacy, spearheaded the editorial team, which began work on the project in 2023 by inviting academics and practitioners from around the world to contribute their insights into the evolving field.
Three years later, the editors have published The Routledge Handbook of Sports Diplomacy – the first book to explore the full breadth and depth of the emerging discipline.
Rofe told Twentytwo13 the handbook was born out of a conviction that sports diplomacy deserved wider recognition.
“Fifteen years ago we couldn’t have had this volume because there was no audience to begin to engage with sports diplomacy,” said Rofe, Professor of Sports Diplomacy and Management at the Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom.
“Collectively we, all of the authors, have helped shape a space where sports diplomacy is sufficiently understood to warrant further research and meaningful discourse.”
Rofe, who is also a senior research fellow at the Institute of Sports Humanities, United Kingdom, and an independent expert adviser to the UK Government’s Sports Diplomacy Working Group, said it was equally important to recognise the diverse perspectives that have shaped the field.
“People have been kind enough to say that I’ve helped found a field of study in sports diplomacy; and while flattering, I wanted to ensure that I recognised others who have contributed, knowingly or otherwise, and bring different perspectives to bear,” he said.
“The handbook features the work of scholars beyond the Anglosphere, including scholar-practitioners such as Lindsay, Thierry, Richard and Haresh, of course.”
Rofe said the handbook goes beyond academia by examining sports diplomacy in practice.
“The book should be accessible to everyone … everyone who has an interest in peering beyond the score,” he said, adding that he had not ruled out a second volume.
Haresh is the only editor from Asia involved in the project.
With nearly three decades in journalism, he has consistently championed the strategic integration of sports diplomacy into Malaysia’s national and foreign policy frameworks. He was invited to join the project because of his expertise in the field.
Over the years, Haresh has spoken on sports diplomacy at international forums, including the US Department of State’s Sports Diplomacy Division’s World Learning International Sports Programming Initiative in May 2021.
He also spoke at New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport in March 2021 and participated in the University of London Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy’s 2020 discussion, An Iconic Global Athlete as an Agent of Sports Diplomacy.
Haresh said he was honoured to be part of the project, which spans 32 chapters across 412 pages. He also contributed a chapter titled Commonwealth Games – Losing Glory: The Fallacy of Sports Diplomacy?
“Simon, Lindsay, Thierry and Richard are huge names in the sports diplomacy realm. To be mentioned alongside them is already an honour,” said Haresh.
Krasnoff is a clinical assistant professor at New York University’s Tisch Institute for Global Sport, where she teaches sports diplomacy.
Zintz is Emeritus Professor of Sports Organisations Management at the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, and served as dean from 2010 to 2016.
Parrish is Professor of Sports Law at the School of Law and Criminal Justice, Edge Hill University, United Kingdom, where he also directs the University’s Centre for Sports Law Research.
“The fact that they saw it fit to have a voice from Asia, specifically Malaysia, as part of this massive project says a lot. I am indeed grateful to be part of this really long, but satisfying journey,” Haresh said.
“I am also glad that Malaysians are being given due recognition by international experts,” he added.
The book’s cover was designed by Twentytwo13 creative editor Hanafiah Nordin.
The handbook also examines the role of a growing range of actors, including states, athletes, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and sports governing bodies at national, regional and international levels. It also presents detailed case studies illustrating sports diplomacy in action, including chapters on the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Published by Routledge, the handbook will be available worldwide from Aug 13. The hardback is priced at £196, while the e-book costs £38.24.
