Athletics, Exhibitions and Exchanges: American Sport Diplomacy in Iran, 1955–1959

Abstract

This article examines the short-lived 1950s American sport diplomacy campaign in Iran. It analyses the motives behind this policy, the initiatives employed and the extent to which US policymakers regarded them as a success. The piece illustrates how these sport diplomacy initiatives - centred on track, field and other Olympic events - comprised a key facet of a broader public diplomacy campaign aimed at countering negative popular perceptions of the United States in the wake of its involvement in the August 1953 coup. Notable initiatives included the sending of former high-jumper David Albritton to coach Iranian athletes, inviting several US athletes to perform exhibitions and the creation of a newspaper sports supplement. This sport diplomacy campaign, however, was fleeting. With no figure willing to replace Albritton after his 1957 return to Ohio, USIS figures in Iran increasingly relied on cultural initiatives to engage with the general public. The analysis here highlights four key points: first, sport diplomacy’s pivotal function as a tool to strengthen and develop US-Iran relations; second, the role of certain individuals in making and shaping these initiatives; third, the Iranian government’s conduct in facilitating these policies; and finally, that USIS sport diplomacy in Iran was a short-term endeavour.