Ladies Figure Skating as an Element of Russian Soft Power in the International Arena

Andrey Volkov

doi:10.11648/j.jpsir.20210401.11

Abstract

This article examines Russia's growing attractiveness around the world through the prism of its athletic performance. With the beginning of the new millennium, Russia's status in the sports world is attracting great international and scientific attention. Over the past three decades, in the context of the geocultural paradigm of the development of the global world, the process of shaping the humanitarian dimension in world politics has clearly emerged. Humanitarian problems are of particular importance in modern international relations. Their solution depends on the state of international relations, the level of their tension and conflict, as well as the involvement in this process not only of official representatives of states, but also of representatives of the general public, including the sports community. Sport is a global phenomenon. At its best, it has the ability to bring people together regardless of their background, upbringing, religious beliefs or economic status. In a positive manifestation, sport serves as a tool for intercultural cooperation, aimed at peacemaking, overcoming conflicts and achieving intercultural dialogue. As such, sport is widely recognized as an important source of soft power resources for any international actor. This is especially true for modern Russia, since one should not forget that sports victories are associated today with the strength of the state, its authority and image on the world stage. The key research object of this article is figure skating as a sports component of the “soft power” arsenal of modern Russia. Using the sport of women's figure skating as an example, the article explores how Russia uses soft-power tools of influence in the intersecting arena of politics, sports and foreign policy to consolidate regional and global hegemony through a combination of different strategies. These include regular successful hosting and participation in major sporting events; development of national sports content; a positive cumulative rating in international competitions compared to other contenders for international influence. The article argues that in the modern world, sport is an instrument of political influence with a powerful potential and capabilities. It identifies shortcomings in the development of the Russian potential of such a sport as figure skating, examines possible prospects and highlights the main directions for a more fruitful use of figure skating as a tool of diplomacy and “soft power”.

Highlights

In the era of globalization, sport is undergoing a transition from a cultural-historical to a socio-political phenomenon
The author offers other forms of power in world politics to attract players and influence the agenda, not just military force or economic sanctions. It is “soft power” that relies not on military force or sanctions but on the ability to shape the preferences of others through attraction and seduction [14, p. 97]
After the end of the championship, Russian figure skating stars performed with a demonstration charity program, which raised funds and donations to help Japan overcome the consequences of the natural disaster [21]

Summary

Introduction

In the era of globalization, sport is undergoing a transition from a cultural-historical to a socio-political phenomenon. “such a bright, beautiful, elegant sport as figure skating attracts the attention of the world community, especially when our athletes, and especially young athletes, achieve such stunning results, millions of people always pay attention to this, and this is not a joke, it is important when people who are involved in some kind of activity that attracts the attention of millions of people do other positive work, it only becomes more effective” [17] In this context, it is quite obvious that figure skating can play the role of much more than just a sport given the high support and approval of the world community, Russia can skillfully and effectively use its potential of this sport on the international agenda, disseminating and relaying own culture and diplomatic intentions. The question naturally arises of whether Russia is sufficiently productively using the figure skating sports potential, and whether this sport will be able to take an honorable place among such soft-power and diplomatic tools as the famous “ping-pong”, “hockey”, or “football” diplomacy

Results and Discussion

From the “Soft Power” to Sports Diplomacy

Figure Skating in Russia

Conclusions