The relationship between sports and nationalism as a propaganda tool

It is seen that the concept of sport has expanded considerably today. The use of sports by individuals or groups as a propaganda tool to create a sphere of influence and the fact that they make this propaganda in relation to ideological ideas reveals the quality of the concept of sports today and that it is quite different. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the concept of sports, which is used as a propaganda tool, and the ideology of nationalism. In this study, literature review and descriptive situation analysis technique were used. The information obtained from the literature review was used as material. The information (data) used was obtained by documentary source scanning and analysis technique. The study is limited to the studies conducted between 1938 - 2021 in the literature, which are suitable for the subject of the research. As a result of the documents examined in the research, it is observed that the role of the concept of sport in history has changed. Today, it is seen that sport has expanded its sphere of influence in relation to different concepts and that sport is used as a propaganda tool. Some of the propagandists made the propaganda of their own regimes through Olympic organizations, some of them used sports as a propaganda tool in order to announce the troubles of their own people to the world and to create a public opinion. Others have used sports as a propaganda tool in order to show their country in the international arena and to indicate that it continues to exist there. In addition, they aimed to ensure the unity and solidarity of the society with the nationalist attitude used in the propaganda of sports. Nationalist propaganda made through sports was reinforced by the unifying power of sports.