Global Sport in the Age of Authoritarian Power

Jonathan Sullivan is an Associate Professor in Politics and IR at the University of Nottingham. He is a China specialist and political scientist. His work spans political communication, digital politics, foreign relations and sport. Recent books include Taiwan: A contested democracy under threat (2024) and Football, business and state power in contemporary China (2026). His latest book focuses on China’s digital influencer (wanghong) cultural economy.Ricardo Fernández Gúdel is a Lecturer in Business Management and International Trade at the University of Valladolid, where he is affiliated with the Asian Studies Centre within the Faculty of Commerce and Labour Relations. He also serves as Director of the Observatory of Sport, Leisure and Tourism at the same faculty. His research focuses on sports management and sports diplomacy, with particular emphasis on Asia and ownership structures in the global sports industry.Emilio Hernández-Correa is a Lecturer in International Trade and Cultural Intelligence at the University of Valladolid. He serves as Deputy Director of the Asian Studies Centre. His research focuses on the Chinese sports industry, outbound Chinese tourism and its economic impact, international trade with China, and intercultural relations within organisations. He has extensive professional and research experience in China, particularly in the tourism and trade sectors, and has recently published his first book on Chinese global governance.

• 1. The Authoritarian Turn in Global Sport 2. Authoritarian Middle Powers and Sport: The Role of Niche Diplomacy in Saudi Arabia and the UAE 3. Qatar vs. Saudi Arabia: FIFA World Cups 2022 & 2034 – Regional Rivalry or Economic Strategy 4. Qatar’s Foreign Policy and Sports Diplomacy: Soft Power, Ideology, and Strategic Interests 5. Messi, Maradona and Gulf Soft Power: Argentina in the Geopolitics of Sport 6. Sport under ‘Top-Level Design’: Political Steering and Authoritarian Consolidation in Xi Jinping’s China 7. An Alternative Sports Order? A Study of Sino-Russian Olympic Diplomacy 8. Cue Sports Superpower: How China Conquered Snooker and Pool 9. Comparative Strategies for E-sports Development in China and Saudi Arabia 10. The Evolution of Hungarian Sports Power: From the ‘Miracle of Bern’ to Contemporary Investments 11. Performing Openness: The Pyongyang Marathon and the Architecture of Authoritarian Control 12. Singapore’s Strategic Playbook: Engagement with International Sport 13. Sporting Ambitions, Geopolitical Goals: Morocco’s Strategic Use of International Sport 14. Gendered Governance in Global Sport: Iranian Women’s Football Fandom 15. Making the State Visible: Rwanda’s Minimalist Model of Sports Diplomacy 16. Sport in the 21st Century: The Journey from Authoritarianism to Liberalism and Back Again