At its most noble level, international sports brings people together across borders and encourages friendship and exchange. But, at its basest level, the fervor sport invokes can trigger violence and even lead to illegal activities. This guide highlights a range of resources researchers can use to explore the many facets of international sports.
The most important and famous international sport is the Olympic Games. The first official international game in any sport was a cricket match played between the United States and Canada in 1844. The Olympics have a strong impact on the host cities and countries, largely because they are seen as a seal of approval from the world’s community that a city or country is a successful, open and well-developed society. This can have a significant economic effect as people travel from around the world to see the events and spend money in the local economy.
Other important international sporting events include the FIFA World Cup, which stirs national pride in fans around the globe, and a number of other multi-sport competitions such as the Universiade and Six Nations Rugby tournament. The Olympic Games and the World Cup are also influenced by political, economic and cultural factors that make up the larger global context in which they occur.
In addition to the global context, international sport is regulated on the national level by international governing bodies like FIFA and the IOC. These bodies are responsible for regulating the technical aspects of their sport at the Olympic Games and disseminating the values of Olympism through their activity.
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