Sports Diplomacy

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Over the last decade, France has developed a genuine sports diplomacy that is now seen as a foreign policy tool in its own right.

It is structured around three main components:

1/ Organizing major international sporting events. Holding the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Rugby World Cup, the French Open (Roland Garros) and the Tour de France bicycle race in France helps to enhance the country’s international outreach.

2/ Making sport central to our bilateral partnerships by strengthening the role of sport as a tool of cooperation and rapprochement with our foreign partners.

3/ Using sport as a tool of influence and attractiveness. Beyond the performance of French athletes, sport is an exceptional showcase for national innovation and expertise in many areas, including the economic, social and environmental sectors.