The Role of Social Functions of Public Diplomacy in Sports Tourism in Iran

Today, social interactions play an important role in the politics of countries. Sports are one of the peaceful tools for international affairs that countries can use to strengthen relationships around the world and historically use sports and its appeal as a way to advance political agendas. Therefore, the researcher decided to investigate the role of social functions of politics in sports and tourism in Iran. This research was conducted in the framework of a qualitative approach and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The statistical population of the research was experts in politics, sports and tourism, including 5 sports faculty members, 5 tourism faculty members, 7 political science faculty members, 5 people with executive work experience in the tourism and cultural heritage organization, and athletes with a history of participating in international competitions. The data collection method was a study of previous researches and an in-depth and open interview. To measure the reliability of the research, intra-subject agreement was used. The average intra-subject agreement was reported as 89%. Based on the findings of the semi-structured interview, the most important social functions of politics in sports and tourism in Iran were three components, including information systems, infrastructures, unity and solidarity. According to the results of the research, suggestions have been made for the development of social interactions and the promotion of sports and tourism events in Iran.