Sport and the power of soft power

Information

Sport and the power of soft power
In partnership with The Scottish Council on Global Affairs

Please note all tickets must be booked in advance and entry is strictly between 4.45pm to 5.15pm. The talk will take place between 5.45pm and 7.00pm.

In a year when sport will again place Scotland on the international stage, this panel will look at the powerful and influential role of soft power and paradiplomacy – at a time when the focus on hard power has rarely been more intense. Sport is in itself a forum for international relations, goodwill and global cooperation across sectors, countries, communities and institutions.

As a key soft power asset, there is more that countries like Scotland can do to maximise sports added value – to support and extend local and global influence in time of increasingly complex and fractured international competition and diplomacy.

Chaired by Brian Whittle MSP, Member of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Speaker Biographies:

Professor Grant Jarvie is Chair of Sport and Founding Director of the Academy of Sport, one of the few dedicated think tanks supporting the sports industry to address local and global challenges, at the University of Edinburgh and Visiting Research Professor at the University of Toronto. Throughout his career in Higher Education (Acting University Principal, Vice-Principal, Faculty Head) and the Sports Industry, Grant has worked across diverse cultural and commercial environments forging a reputation as an effective international Government Advisor and leader with the ability to navigate and influence key stakeholders at the highest level of authority.

Alice Calder is an International Relations (MA) student in her final year at The University of Edinburgh. In 2024-2025 alongside a year studying at Sciences Po, Paris, she was awarded a scholarship to participate in the Regional Academy of the United Nations - an international educational program that brings together UN Organisations and Master and PhD students. She worked directly with the UNHCR Sports Diplomacy department mapping opportunities and barriers to elite-level sports for refugee athletes. Alice has obtained work experience in the Cabinet Office, with the BBC diplomatic correspondence team and the UK Civil Service.

Dr Ben Coulson is a Lecturer in International Relations, University of Edinburgh. As a researcher and teacher Ben sits at an intersection between International Relations, History, and Critical Geopolitics. His research focuses on the historical development of US-China relations from the mid-19th century to the present. He works more broadly on contemporary US foreign policy in East Asia, East Asian Security, and popular culture and politics. He leads on two Honours courses titled, 'Geopolitics' and 'Sport and Politics'.