Sport, Politics, and Society
Sport, politique et société
Abstract
According to some specialists, sport is a universal phenomenon which, in various forms, has always existed. For others, the existence of sport in Antiquity cannot be envisaged because, at that time, it was a cultural practice with a strong religious dimension. Whatever these debates, sport can be defined as an activity practiced alone or in a group, an activity requiring physical qualities, strength, skill, reflexes, endurance, and moral qualities. Practitioners observe rules specific to each sport, exercise for their own pleasure, their health or compete in competitions. This activity is partially institutionalized: many sportsmen and women join specialized clubs, affiliated to federations that define regulations and organize official competitions, Olympic Games, world, national and regional championships, tournaments, grand prix, land or sea races, etc.
Announcement
Argument
The Tunisian-Mediterranean Association for Historical, Social and Economic Studies (TMA for HSES) & The Tunisian World Center for Studies, Research and Development (TWC for SRD) will organize the fifteenth International Symposium around the theme: “Sport, Politics, and Society”, on December 1, 2, and 3, 2026.
When Qatar was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup, much controversy and criticism arose. The fairness of the award process and the integrity of the individuals involved in the decision were called into question. Qatar's lack of experience in football and, even more so, its lack of suitable facilities were noted. The construction of vast, enclosed stadiums and their air conditioning, requiring costly energy consumption, aroused strong reservations. The lack of safety on construction sites, which, according to local authorities, caused around forty fatal accidents, and many more according to journalists, was denounced. These debates illustrate the importance of sport in international relations, society, and the economy.
Sport, what is it ?
Sport comes from an old French word, the noun desport and the verb desporter which means to frolic, to distract oneself, through physical games or intellectual activities. The word was imported to England in the fourteenth century by knights and, in the nineteenth century, was transformed into sport. At that time, it mainly referred to aristocratic physical exercises, such as horseback riding, hunting with hounds, fencing, etc. The democratization of sport then asserted itself.[1]
According to some specialists, sport is a universal phenomenon which, in various forms, has always existed.[2] For others, the existence of sport in Antiquity cannot be envisaged because, at that time, it was a cultural practice with a strong religious dimension.
Whatever these debates, sport can be defined as an activity practiced alone or in a group, an activity requiring physical qualities, strength, skill, reflexes, endurance, and moral qualities. Practitioners observe rules specific to each sport, exercise for their own pleasure, their health or compete in competitions. This activity is partially institutionalized: many sportsmen and women join specialized clubs, affiliated to federations that define regulations and organize official competitions, Olympic Games, world, national and regional championships, tournaments, grand prix, land or sea races, etc. The International Olympic Committee imposes very strict criteria on each sport so that it can be included in the major global meeting. In 2001, the European Council proposed an official definition:
"Sport means all forms of physical activity which, through organized or unorganized participation, have as their object the improvement of physical and mental condition, the development of social relations or the achievement of results in competition at all levels".
Sports can be classified in many ways. It is possible to distinguish dominant ones according to the era. In ancient times, athletics and chariot racing were particularly popular. In the Middle Ages, knights practiced tournaments and the quintain which consisted of striking a shield fixed on a pole on a galloping horse; the common people devoted themselves to wrestling, shot put, and soule which was a ball game between the populations of two villages.[3] In contemporary times, football has become the major sport.[4]
The distinctions among sports are based on national traditions. Countries trained in British culture enjoy cricket or field hockey. North America is playing more ice hockey. In the United States, baseball is very popular. Senegalese wrestling has the appearance of a national sport. Among the traditional games we can mention, among many others, the Egyptian tahteeb (stick game), the Mexican charreira (equestrian games related to rodeo), the Vienna Equestrian School.
We can also individualize social sports (golf, tennis, etc.) and popular sports, men's, women's[5] and mixed sports, individual sports and team sports, athletics, mechanical, water, equestrian sports, combat, ice, and precision sports.[6] Physical education and sports are generally provided in schools.
Sport and politics
Sport has many links with politics. Generally speaking, countries are sensitive to the prestige and influence they derive from the organization of major international meetings, the participation and the victories of their nationals. Sport can help the authorities to make people forget the major issues or causes likely to mobilize the masses. The Latin poet Juvenal summed up this manipulation in the famous formula "panem et circenses" (bread and circus games):
“These Romans, so jealous, so proud (...) who once reigned from the Capitol to the two ends of the earth, now slaves to corrupting pleasures, what do they need? Bread and games"[7].
Thus, the masses sometimes end up being held by the power which, taking charge of material needs, feeds, and entertains them. They abdicate their ambitions, forget important projects, do not defend their freedoms. Sport can become an instrument of depoliticization and alienation.
Another objective is that sport is sometimes used by some countries to exalt their values, their conception of political, social, and economic organization. The successes achieved in the competitions are presented as proof of the excellence of the choices made by the government. Taken to the extreme, such an idea of sport risks transforming it into a powerful instrument of propaganda. Countries excluded from major competitions because of their behaviour in international relations or their flagrant violation of human rights, are indignant and say they are victims of petty revenge or conspiracies.
Young or multi-ethnic countries are often led to consider sporting successes as a way of consolidating national identity or unity. Sport can become the antidote to all kinds of weaknesses.
Major sporting events are sometimes instrumentalized and turn into a sounding board for questions that have nothing to do with disinterested jousting. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Hitler refused to congratulate the black winners. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics Games, African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos used their presence on the winners' podium to protest racial inequality by raising their fists and taking a knee. At the 1972 Munich Olympics, a commando of Palestinians belonging to the Black September movement assassinated eleven Israeli athletes.
Some sportsmen and women achieve considerable prestige and sometimes even seem to embody the national spirit by offering a very positive image of their country. This was the case of the African-American Jesse Owens, who won four medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, the "King Pele", a Brazilian footballer considered as one of the best players of all time, and the Argentine car racer Juan Manuel Fangio with a name that became legendary. The great international football player Georges Weah, holder of the Golden Ball in 1995, had been elected president of the Republic of Liberia in 2018.
Sport and society
Despite all the instrumentalizations, sport is supposed to dispense high lessons by exalting physical, but also moral and intellectual qualities. Thus, the Greek poet Pindar, who composed works in honor of the Olympic winners, sang less of the heroes of the stadium than of the heroic spirit, less of physical talents than of virtues such as courage, loyalty of behavior, intelligence in the achievement of the feat. This ideal was contained in the Greek motto Kalos kai agathos, which means Beautiful and Good (in body and mind), a motto that is found in the Latin ideal Mens sanum in corpore sano (healthy mind in healthy body). According to tradition, the Greek Pythagoras was a man in the best sense of the word for, on the one hand, he proved to be a brilliant philosopher and mathematician and, on the other hand, he excelled in sport because he had won many wrestling victories at the Olympic Games.
Athletes obey many motivations: leisure, body maintenance, health matters, game, passion, taste for competition, cult of performance.[8] Some choose a physical practice that is appreciated in the social category to which they belong or valued in their country. Others only consider sport as a spectacle.[9]
The values of sport, particularly self-control and respect for the opponent, give to this activity an important educational value. The trainers interpret physical education as a means of combating delinquency and ideological radicalization; they also see it as a vector for social reintegration.[10] However, sport is not immune to certain weaknesses and even outright offences. Indeed, the cult of virility can lead to sexism; in any case, men's competitions are generally more publicized than women's. In the stadiums, verbal and physical violence sometimes erupts and reflects the passions of a team's admirers, the gratuitous hatred of opponents, the contempt for minorities. The desire to absolutely win leads to cheating such as the ingestion of stimulants. This practice was known since ancient times. In the nineteenth century, fraudsters took alcohol, phosphorus, camphor. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, more effective and dangerous products appeared, such as hormones and anabolic steroids. The USSR and East Germany practiced clandestine doping of some of their athletes. Dramatic doping cases regularly broke out. In 1960, at the Olympic Games in Rome, Danish cyclist Knud Jensen died due to an overdose. The same was true in the Tour de France cycling race. In 1967, during the Mont Ventoux stage, the English rider Tom Simpson died suddenly after taking banned substances. The biggest scandal was that of the American Lance Armstrong, seven times winner of the Tour from 1999 to 2005, stripped of his titles because of systematic doping. In 1998, Chinese swimmers were convicted of carrying growth hormones in their luggage. Control and fight structures have also been put in place, notably the World Anti-Doping Agency which drew up a World Anti-Doping Charter in 2003.[11]
Sport has close links with the economy. Thus, it stimulates the construction industry which builds stadiums, specialized halls, velodromes, swimming pools, ice rinks... The impact on tourism is significant because cities and sites where major competitions take place attract many visitors. Lovers of water sports or winter sports flock to the coastal resorts and mountainous regions. Some sports clubs are listed on the stock exchange. The manufacturing of equipment such as automobiles, racing boats, skis, and the production of clothing and various equipment requires significant capital. Sport creates many jobs for coaches, coaches, doctors, physiotherapists, masseurs, psychological counsellors, stadium maintenance staff, journalists, lawyers... Sport has a close relationship with the media. Television broadcasting rights are hotly debated. The food industries also benefit from the physical activities they promote by providing energy products.
The salaries of the most prestigious players are reaching dizzying heights. Athletes from poor countries are often tempted to settle in the most advantaged countries where training, success and remuneration are better ensured.[12]
The profits from the sport are so significant that ski resorts in the mid-altitude mountains, disadvantaged by global warming, are investing considerable sums to buy snow cannons that cover the slopes with artificial snowflakes. This example draws attention to an important theme: sport and the environment. The recent awarding of the organization of the 2029 Asian Winter Games to Saudi Arabia, a country unprepared by nature to fulfil this function, has raised many objections. In fact, in every country, the practice of sport poses ecological problems. The maintenance of the vast lawns that make up golf courses requires large amounts of water. Hiking, mountain biking and climbing often lead to trampling of the vegetation and disturb the fauna. The construction of sports facilities can damage the natural environment or the integrity of fragile urban neighborhoods. Major sporting events lead to the arrival of crowds of spectators, by plane, car, train, influx which aggravates the emission of greenhouse gases. Excessive human densities, congestion, noise, pollution, and the accumulation of waste are increased.
Under these conditions, efforts are required from those responsible: respecting the natural environment and ecosystems, considering the living conditions and culture of the populations, seeking to reduce energy consumption, for example by using solar panels or collecting rainwater. Positive results are beginning to be recorded. Already, in 2008, during the Beijing Olympic Games, many factories near the Chinese capital were closed and car traffic was reduced. The organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games have expressed their commitment to offering a "green competition." Instead of building expensive facilities, they have used existing stadiums and made use of long-established spaces, such as the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, the Grand Palais, and the Champ de Mars located in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Sport and the arts
The relationship between sport and artistic life is ancient. With literature first. In antiquity, Homer, Pindar, Aristotle, Ovid, among others, wrote on this theme. Likewise, many French people like Rabelais, Montaigne, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jean Giraudoux who was French 400 meters champion, Antoine Blondin famous for his chronicles centered on the Tour de France cycling race. The American Norman Mailer dedicated his book The Fight of the Century to the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974. Megan Abbott, also an American, has published detective novels whose plots take place in sports circles, such as You will know me (2016). The Uruguayan Eduardo Galeano is the author of Football. Shadow and Light (1997). Several journalists and essayists have made a name for themselves through their work on physical activities, such as the Americans Robert Angell, Grantland Rice, Bill James, a baseball specialist, and the Nigerian Ignatius Ajonuma.[13]
Sport has inspired sculptors, notably Myron of Athens, author of one of the most famous ancient statues, the Discobolus. In painting, we can mention the Regattas depicted by Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley, the Horse Races by Edgar Manet, the footballers painted by Nicolas de Staël. Many films have focused on sports, for example, Charlot boxeur (1915), Leni Riefenstahl's Les Dieux du stade (1938), the five Rocky films (1976-1990), Jean-Jacques Annaud's Coup de tête (1979), Les Chariots de feu of Hugh Hudson (1981), Luc Besson's Le Grand bleu (1988), Michael Mann's Ali (2001), Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby (2004), Woody Allen's Match Point (2005), and Christian Duquay's Jappelou (2013).
Topics
Papers should avoid atheoretical monographs, such as a simple account of a sporting event or a presentation of the rules of a physical activity.
The definition of sport
- Traditional sports and games, physical education, and sports
- Sports regulation, federations, international organizations
- Sports associations
- History of sports, key dates, representative athletes
- Major competitions, Olympic Games, World Cups, championships, sailing and horse racing
Sport and politics
- Sport and values, political, social, and economic ideals
- Sport and law
- Sport, a sounding board for international relations
- Sport and prestige
- Sport and political manipulation
- Depoliticization through sport
- Sport and propaganda
- Sport and national unity
- Sport and nationalism
Sport and society
- Motivations for sporting activity
- Amateur and professional sport
- Sport and values, sport and morality, sport and philosophy
- Sport and social categories, social integration through sport
- Sport and migration
- Sport and education, athlete training, prevention
- Sport and health, disabled sport, Paralympic Games
- Sport and sexism
- Sport and delinquency, cheating, doping (technics, products, dangers)
- Sport and violence
- Sport and racism, xenophobia, homophobia
Sport and economy
- Infrastructure, construction of stadiums, halls, tracks, velodromes, ice rinks, swimming pools
- Production of equipment, vehicles, skis, snowshoes, clothing
- Sport and tourism
- Sports professions, training, coaches, referees, doctors, masseurs, advertisers
- Sport and media, audiovisual press, print media
- Financial dimension of sport, investments, profits, salaries
- Sport and the environment, impact on nature, integration of facilities into the urban fabric
- Sport and energy consumption, nuisances, pollution, noise
Sport and the artistic life
- Literature
- Visual Arts
- Cinema
Terms of submission
Individual proposal: must be a new topic that has not already been published or presented at a scientific symposium.
Fill the registration form carefully.
Proposals may be submitted in Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Turkish.
Detailed abstract: one page at least in WORD 2003 or Word 2007 format (Font: Times New Roman 12 / Line spacing: single, justified alignment, margins 2.5 cm),
A detailed and up-to-date CV of the author,
A full English translation is compulsory for summaries in French, Spanish and Turkish (one page at a minimum).
A full translation in English or French is mandatory for Arabic abstracts (one page at least).
Important Dates
Deadline for submission the proposals to: tunisian.mediterranean.associ@gmail.com
by June 30, 2026.
Notification of the Scientific Committee's decisions to the authors (abstract acceptance or abstract rejection) + information on registration fees for the conference: June 15, 2026.
Deadline for submission the Final Text: October 31, 2026 (Text: Times New Roman 12.5 / line spacing: single / alignment: justified / References: Garamond 11 / Margin: Up + Down: 4,5 cm, Right + Left: 4 cm)
Fifteenth International Conference: December 1, 2, and 3, 2026. Beja, Tunisia
Selected papers by the Scientific Committee will be published in the Tunisian-Mediterranean Review of Social and Economic Studies (Refereed multidisciplinary journal / ISSN: 2233-2502) or elsewhere (Series: knowledge without Frontiers).
Scientific committee
- Ibrahim Muhammed Saadaoui (University of Tunisia / T.M.A. for HSES),
- Abdennaser Ali Al-Fakki (International University of Africa. Sudan),
- Adel Ben Youssef (University of Sousse. Tunisia),
- Adel Zyada (Cairo University, Egypt),
- Adem Üstün Çatalbaş (Muş Alparslan University, Türkiye),
- Aislu B. Yunusova (Ufa Science Center. Russia),
- Ammar Fadhel Hamza (Albasrah university, Iraq),
- Anne-Claire de Gayffier-Bonneville (InalcoSorbonne University Paris. France),
- Antonio Garrido Almonacid (University of Jaén. Spain),
- Ayşe Çağliyan (Fırat University, Elazığ-Turkey),
- Ayşe DEĞERLİ (İzmir Demokrasi Üniversitesi. Türkiye),
- Aziz Mostefaoui (University of Adrar. Algeria),
- Behçet Kemal Yeşilbursa (Bursa Uludag University. Türkiye),
- Belgacem Tababi (University of Manouba. Tunisia),
- Boutheina Telmini (University of Tunis. Tunisia),
- Camara Moritié (University of Bouake, Ivory Coast),
- Eduardo Erazo Acosta (University of Nariño Pasto – Colombia)
- Elizabeth Bishop (Texas State University. USA),
- Eric R. Dursteler (Brigham Young University. USA),
- Esambu Matenda-A-Baluba Jean-Bosco Germain (University of Lubumbashi. R.D. Congo),
- Evariste Mana Mbumba (University of Kinshasa. DRC),
- Fatima Azzahra Guechi (University of Constantine. Algeria),
- Halima Abu Haneya (Arab American University. Palestine),
- Hana Younes (University of Sarajevo. Bosnia and Herzegovina),
- Hassan Amili (University of Hassan II. Mohammedia. Morocco),
- Houda Driss (University of Carthage. Tunisia),
- Hussein Ammari (University of Beni Mellel, Morocco),
- Idamaria Fusco (CNR-ISSM. Italy),
- Idrissa BA (Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar. Senegal),
- Idrissa Soïba Traore (University of Bamako, Tchad),
- Ilaboti Dipo (University of Kara. Togo),
- John Chircop (University of Malta. Malta),
- Jomaa Ben Zarwal (University of Batna. Algeria),
- Kamaran M.K. Mondal (University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India),
- Kemal Çiçek (Yeni Türkiye Stratejik Araştırma Merkezi. Ankara, Turkey),
- Khaled Nouicer (University of Manouba. Tunisia),
- Khalifa Hammache (University of Constantine. Algeria),
- Khamis Gharbi Hussein (Tikrit university, Iraq),
- Kouadio Kouassi Kan Adolphe (Alassane University Ouattara, Bouaké. Ivory Coast),
- Landitiana Soamarina Miakatra (University of Madagascar),
- Laurence Michalak (University of California, Berkeley. USA),
- Lazar Marius (Université Babes-Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca, Roumanie),
- Lisbeth Haas (University of California, Santa Cruz. USA),
- Luis Fernando Fé Cantó (Université d’Orléans. France),
- Mabrouk Chihi (University of Jendouba. Tunisia),
- Manel Muhammed Salih (University of Moussul. Iraq),
- Marie-Christine Allart (University of Lille3, France),
- Masoumeh Daei (Tabriz Payame Noor University of Tabriz. Iran),
- Matthew Walker (Northern Virginia Community College. USA.),
- Mayéda Ningui Wénssowa (University of Lomé. Togo),
- Mbida Onambele Max Zachée Saintclair (University of Buea. Cameroon),
- Meignan Gouedan Richard (Felix Houphouet Boigny University, Abidjan. Ivory Coast),
- Mejda Ben Hayun (Shuaib Doukkali University, El Jadida. Morocco),
- Memon Fofana (Gon Coulibaly University of Korhogo. Ivory Coast),
- Messina Mvogo Ernest (University of Douala. Cameroon),
- Mohammed Arnaout (Institute of Oriental Studies, Pristina. Kosovo),
- Mohammed Chadly (University of Algiers, Algeria),
- Mohammed Jerbi (University of Sfax. Tunisia),
- Mohammed Ratoul (University of Hassiba ben Bouali, Chlef. Algeria),
- Mouna Ben Aissa (University of Gabes. Tunisia),
- Munoz Grégory (University of Nantes. France),
- Murad Zouine (Hassan II University, Mohammedia. Morocco),
- Mustafa Öztürk (İzmir Demokrasi Üniversitesi. Türkiye),
- Paola Avallone (Italian National Council of Research. Napoli. Italy),
- Pierre-Éric Fageol (University of Reunion),
- Prisca Justine EHUI (ISAD. Abidjan. Ivory Coast),
- Rafael Valenci (University of Seville. Spain),
- Raffaella Salvemini (Italian National Council of Research. Napoli. Italy),
- Ralph Schor (University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis. France),
- Saida Chaouch (Kasdi Merbah University, Ouargla. Algeria),
- Sami Abdelmalik al-Bayyadhi (Cairo University, Egypt),
- Sami Madhi (Mustansiriya University, Baghdad. Iraq),
- Santosh Kumar Mishra (Women’s University, Mumbai, India),
- Sergio Luiz Cruz Aguilar (Sao Paulo State University. Brazil),
- Songül Karahasanoğlu (Istanbul Technical University. Türkiye),
- Suhir Safwat Abdel-jid (Ain Shams University, Cairo. Egypt),
- Talal Hmud al-Mikhlafi (University of Taiz. Yemen),
- Tanoh Raphael Bekoin (University of Bouake, Ivory Coast),
- Tej Ghomri (Bashar University. Algeria),
- Waleed Saleh (Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain),
- Yves Guillermou (Toulouse University 3. France).
- Zulikha Ben Ramadan (University of Muhammadiyah. Morocco).
Notes
[1]. Laurent TURCOT, Sports et loisirs. Une histoire des origines à nos jours, Gallimard, Paris, 2016. Ronald HUBSCHER, L’Histoire en mouvements, Colin, Paris, 1992.
[2]. Wofgang DECKER et Jean-Paul THUILLIER, Le Sport dans l’Antiquité, Picard, Paris, 2004.
[3]. Sébastien NADOT, Le Spectacle des joutes. Sport et courtoisie au Moyen-Age, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2012.
[4]. Paul DIETSCHY, Histoire du football, Perrin, Paris, 2010.
[5]. Paul ARNAUD et Thierry TERRET, Histoire du sport féminin, L’Harmatttan, Paris, 1996.
[6]. Encyclopédie des sports et des jeux, Grund-UNESCO, Paris, 2005.
[7]. JUVENAL, Satire X, vers 81.
[8]. Roland BARTHES, Mythologies. Le monde où l’on catche. Le Tour de France comme épopée, Le Seuil, Paris, 1957.
[9]. Grant JARVIE, Sport, Culture and Society, Routledge, Londres, 2017. Jim PARRY and alii, Body Ecology and Emersive Leisure, Routledge, Londres ; 2018.
[10]. JeanMarie BROHM, Sociologie politique du sport, Presses universitaires de Nancy, 1992.
[11]. Patrick LAURE, Le Dopage, PUF, Paris, 1995. Jean-Pierre de MONDEVARS, Dictionnaire du dopage. Substances, procédés, conduites, Masson, Paris, 2004.
[12]. Yaya KONE, Anthropologie du sport en Afrique de l’Ouest. La condition d’athlète, L’Harmattan, Paris, 2011.
[13]. Jean DURRY et Pierre DAUZIER, Le Chant du sport. Histoire d’un thème et textes choisis français et étrangers, La Table Ronde, Paris, 2006. Denis GOMBERT, Le Sport. Anthologie littéraire de Homère à Blondin, Bouquins, Paris, 2024. Thomas BAVER, La Sportive dans la littérature française des Années folles, Presses universitaires du Septentrion, Villeneuve-d’Ascq, 2011.
Places
- Salle de conférence, ISET - Salle de conférence, ISET - Route de Tunis. Béja, Tunisie (9000)
Béja, Tunisia (9000)
Event attendance modalities
Hybrid event (on site and online)
Attached files
Keywords
- sport, economie, relation internationale, société, art
Contact(s)
- Ibrahim Muhammed saadaoui
courriel : saadaoui_brahim [at] yahoo [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Sport, Politics, and Society », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Thursday, August 07, 2025, https://doi.org/10.58079/14gpb
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