Olympic Sport and Internationalism Debates in the Arab-Muslim World

Abstract

The aim of the chapter is to illustrate elements of internationalism and regionalism trough sport in the Arab world. Firstly, in relation to internationalism debate, in the aftermath of independence, the appropriation of the dominant model of sport by newly independent countries was seen as inevitable, taking into account the multiple uses of sport as an element for political, social and cultural recognition. Sport played an important role in Arab states' policies in the formation of nation states and mobilization of the masses, as well as a measure of cooperation, integration and unification between Arab populations. As for today, in the alleged era of globalization, sport is an ingredient of the general strategy of transformation from socialism or controlled liberalism to the market economy. The strategy for staging international sport competitions has taken a significant dimension lately in the Arabian Gulf region. This has reached an unprecedented level with Qatar staging the Asian Games (second biggest international sport event after the Olympic Games). Secondly, in relation to regionalism debate, the Pan Arab Games, as a forum to promote Arab unity (in crisis today) and the Pan Islamic Games, as an opportunity to rebuild a sense of Islamic unity and reinforce the universal values of Islam as the second largest religion in the world, are illustrative examples of regional (with a universalist dimension for the latter) engagement with Olympism and the Olympic Games. Finally, the last part of the chapter addresses zones of tensions and consensus or reconciliation between the Arab-Muslim world (history, culture and politics) and the Olympics (movement, philosophy and the Games).