Diplomats in Tracksuits How Sport Helped Ease Cold War Tensions

<p><b>Fascinating and engaging study of the relationship between sport and politics during the Cold War.</b></p><p>By the author of the widely acclaimed <i>Synthetic Medals: East German Athletes’ Journey to Hell</i>.</p><p><i>Diplomats in Tracksuits</i> uncovers the intriguing stories behind athletes who unwittingly became diplomats, bridging divides between superpowers through the universal language of sport. A must-read for sports and history enthusiasts, this engrossing book:</p><ul><li>Explores how iconic Cold War sports events, like Nixon’s ping-pong diplomacy and the ‘Miracle on Ice’, helped ease global tensions and foster dialogue</li><li>Reveals the crucial role of events such as the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and how leaders like Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev navigated these international stages</li><li>Examines how victories and defeats in events such as the 1972 Summit Series in hockey helped to humanise adversaries and foster mutual respect</li><li>Uncovers how human rights were often at the forefront of sports events, such as the famous ‘Black Power salute’ protest at the 1968 Olympics</li><li>Shows how, at the 1960 Olympics, US sprinter David Sime was recruited by the CIA in an attempt to persuade a Soviet long jumper to defect</li><li>Looks at how the boycotts of the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics increased Cold War tensions</li></ul><p>Drawing on meticulous research, <i>Diplomats in Tracksuits</i> shows that sports during the Cold War era were not merely games but battlegrounds for promoting political ideologies and asserting the supremacy of the two superpowers – the United States and the Soviet Union – and their allies.</p>