KAMU DİPLOMASİSİ SONUÇLARI İÇİN SPORDAN YARARLANMA: KATAR'IN 2022 FIFA DÜNYA KUPASI ÖRNEĞİ

2008 yılında Katar, ülkeyi sürdürülebilir ve gelişen bilgi tabanlı bir ekonomiye dönüştürmeyi amaçlayan "Katar Ulusal Vizyonu 2030 "u başlattı. Orta Doğu ülkesi aynı zamanda çekici olmayı ve küresel statüsünü yükseltmeyi de hedeflemiştir. Bu amaçla Katar, yumuşak güç üretmek için spora ve özellikle de futbola odaklanmış ve 2022 FIFA Dünya Kupası bu stratejinin kilit unsuru olmuştur. Bu nedenle, bu makale Katar'ın spor diplomasisini ve özellikle de 2022 FIFA Dünya Kupası'na ev sahipliği yapmasının ardındaki stratejik nedenleri analiz etmektedir. Sporun ve özellikle de futbolun diplomatik bir araç olarak kullanılmasının ilginç çerçevesine işaret eden akademik çalışmaların eksikliği devam etmektedir ve Katar'daki Dünya Kupası derinlemesine incelenmeyi hak eden bir vakadır. Betimsel analiz kullanan bu makale, resmi açıklamalara, belgelere, Katarlı liderlerin konuşmalarına ve gazetecilik kaynaklarına odaklanarak Katar'ın spor diplomasisinin ve Dünya Kupası'nın arkasındaki stratejik hedeflerin ve araçların altını çizmektedir. Makale, Katar'ın küresel imajını iyileştirmek için futbolu ve 2022 FIFA Dünya Kupası'nı kamu diplomasisi araçları olarak kullandığını savunmaktadır. Medya ve yayıncılık, büyükelçilik, sponsorluk, Fransız kulübü Paris Saint-Germain, altyapı ve teknoloji ve yeteneklerin vatandaşlığa alınması Katar'ın futbol ve Dünya Kupası diplomasisinin kilit araçlarıdır.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Spor diplomasisi, Qatar, Yumuşak Güç, FIFA Dünya Kupası, Country Branding

LEVERAGING SPORTS FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY OUTCOMES: THE CASE OF QATAR’S FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

In 2008, Qatar launched its “Qatar National Vision 2030” which aimed to transform the country into a sustainable and thriving knowledge-based economy. The Middle Eastern country aimed also to be attractive and to upgrade its global status. With this in mind, Qatar focused on Sports and Football in particular, to produce soft power, and the FIFA World Cup 2022 was the key element of this strategy. Therefore, this article analyzes Qatar’s sports diplomacy and in particular, the strategic reasons behind the host of the FIFA World Cup 2022. There is still a lack of academic studies pointing out the interesting framework of the use of sports and Football in particular, as a diplomatic tool, and the World Cup in Qatar is a case that deserves to be studied in depth. Using descriptive analysis, this article underlines the strategic objectives and tools behind Qatar’s sports diplomacy and the World Cup, by focusing on official statements, documents, speeches of Qatari leaders, and journalistic resources. The article argues that Qatar leveraged Football and the 2022 FIFA World Cup as public diplomacy tools to improve its global image. Media and broadcasting, ambassadorship, Sponsorship, the French club of Paris Saint-Germain, infrastructures and technology, and naturalizing talent were key instruments of Qatar’s Football and World Cup diplomacy.

Keywords:

Sports diplomacy, Qatar, Soft Power, FIFA World Cup, Country Branding,

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