Our society has been treating politics as a game. But we are far behind our neighbouring countries in treating sports as politics. The government's inclusion of sports in the school curriculum should lay the foundation to understand the political, economic, and social impact of sports
In recent years, the concept of sports diplomacy has gained attention as a means to foster international relations and promote peace. Perhaps for the first time, Nepal has a prime minister who is interested in cricket and understands it well. This was reflected in his congratulations to his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, via the social media platform Facebook after India won the recently concluded T20 World Cup. Within South Asia, cricket holds a unique position due to its immense popularity and historical significance. Cricket is not just a sport in this region; it is a passion that transcends borders and unites people.
The potential of cricket diplomacy lies in its ability to bring together people and leaders from different countries in a shared space of competition and camaraderie. High-profile cricket matches attract significant media coverage and public attention, creating a unique opportunity for informal interactions and dialogue. These events can soften political stances and pave the way for more formal diplomatic engagements.
Nepal's performance in the past couple of T20 World Cups and the reputation it has built in the international arena have now made us the new underdogs of world cricket. It is a great opportunity for Prime Minister Balendra Shah to see cricket not just as a game but as his diplomatic weapon. No government has so far considered the potential of cricket diplomacy as an interest. Even if they have, sports diplomacy has been found to be inserted into foreign policy merely for formality. On top of that, the unavailability of an official English copy of the foreign policy has also cast a shadow over it.
We all know that SAARC is a platform for showing its presence in South Asian geopolitics and exchanging mutual strategic problems. The 19th SAARC summit, scheduled to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2016, was indefinitely postponed due to a boycott by Indian officials in the wake of the Uri attack, and the future of the organisation remains in a state of limbo. But what is surprising is that even though India and Pakistan do not come under the same roof to talk at the political table, they are not in any way reluctant to come under the same roof to play cricket.
The ICC has understood this very well and has managed it through diplomatic channels and has succeeded in bringing these two archrivals under the same roof, which has not only attracted the attention of the world but also provided a platform for individuals from the civil and political spheres of these two nations to do some Track-two diplomacy.
When we look back on history, the 1987 series, which coincided with a period of military buildup on both sides, and the 2004 series, which took place after a prolonged period of strained relations following the Kargil conflict, not only brought the two nations together on the cricket field but also facilitated high-level diplomatic engagements and people-to-people interactions.
A classic example of cricket diplomacy is the incident when then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani came together to watch the semi-final match of the 2011 Cricket World Cup between the two countries. The event provided an important platform for discussing political developments and other strategic issues between them.
It is time for Nepal to rise above its traditional buffer state status and become a smart strategic partner. Our biggest advantage is that we are a member of a regional organisation, most of whose countries have won the Cricket World Cup. To start cricket diplomacy, we can have diplomatic discussions with countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, which helps open the door to a new horizon of Nepal's diplomatic dimension. If it can be successfully implemented, it has the potential to take Nepal to unprecedented heights in terms of job creation, economy, tourism, and international reputation.
What we should point out is that SAARC was fully active when India and Pakistan were visiting each other's countries to play bilateral cricket. But in recent times, due to the neglect of cricket diplomacy or the failure of neighbouring countries like Nepal to take the issue seriously, the organisation has almost died. As Nepal is also the chair country of SAARC, the Shah government has a huge opportunity to revive SAARC using the medium of cricket diplomacy during his 5-year tenure. If studied carefully, this step will prove to be a milestone for the benefit of Nepal and the Nepalese.
Our society has been treating politics as a game. But we are far behind our neighbouring countries in treating sports as politics. The government's inclusion of sports in the school curriculum is a welcome step. It helps to lay the foundation for students to understand the political, economic, and social impact of sports from an early age.
Pakistan is ranked first in the list of countries affected by terrorism according to the 2026 Terrorism Index, but Pakistan has been sending a message to the world that it is strong in terms of security by hosting international cricket tournaments. This clearly shows that Pakistan has taken the help of cricket to show how reliable its security mechanism is. What is clear from this is that a global game like cricket gives a symbolic message, which Nepal does not seem to have recognised yet. We are not that late, although it is late; the country has eliminated its orthodox gerontocratic leadership.
Shrestha is a graduate of International Relations and Diplomacy from Tribhuvan University
