A key feature of international sports are the competitions between teams from different countries. These can be at a national level, for example the World Cup football tournament or the Olympics, or between multiple nations as in the case of cricket and rugby league (World Cup) and baseball (World Series).
Hosting major events like the Olympics and football World Cup can boost a city or country’s reputation internationally. The Olympics and FIFA have explicit rules that recognise that hosting a major event should lead to sustainable improvements in the host city. This is why it is important for cities to lobby the organisers of these events to make sure that the bids are realistic and that they will be able to deliver on their promises.
However, even positive policies can only go so far. As Zohreh Abdollahkhani from the University of Trondheim points out, if the organisation governing an event is located in Europe, there’s little it can do to hold Western governments accountable for human rights abuses committed in their region.
There are also a variety of other international sporting events, from the Universiade – an international university sport event for students – to Six Nations rugby. These can give an insight into the sports culture of a country, which can be a good way to immerse yourself in local life when studying or interning abroad. For example, a visit to Florence would not be complete without witnessing calcio fiorentino – a violent mix of soccer, rugby and MMA.