Sports Diplomacy

The Oxford Diplomatic Society are back with a bang for Trinity term with an inspiring talk on Sports Diplomacy. Join us to hear from three inspirational speakers with backgrounds in policy, academia, and the NGO sector.

If you have any questions for any of our incredible speakers, please comment below and they will be passed on during the event.

We're excited to present our panellists:

Mary 'Trina' Bolton

- Public Affairs Specialist and former Sports Diplomacy Program Officer at the US Department of State. Trina has worked with U.S Embassies and other bureaus to manage public diplomacy programs and sports exchanges for delegations from every corner of the world. Her portfolio includes the US Department of State’s Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative and the flagship espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program. Trina has also used sports as a platform for the Bureau of International Narcotics demand reduction efforts.

Dr Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff

- Historian, writer, and consultant working at the intersection of global sport, communication, and diplomacy. Lindsay is co-director of the SOAS University of London “Basketball Diplomacy in Africa” project. She is the author of The Making of Les Bleus: Sport in France (2013) and Views From the Embassy (2014), and has also written about global sports for the Athletic, CNN International, and VICE Sports, among others. Lindsay lectures on sports and diplomacy at the Robert Preston Tisch Institute for Global Sport, New York University, and is a Research Associate with the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS University of London. She is also a veteran of the US Department of State’ Office of the Historian.

Trent Smyth

- Founder and co-chair of the Sports Diplomacy Foundation. The Sports Diplomacy Foundation assists Australian companies and major international sporting events to tap into diplomatic and government channels to export their specialist capability through strategic advice and partnerships. In addition to commercial opportunities, sporting events provide an exciting and engaging platform to inform and influence targeted demographics, particularly youth, emerging leaders, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, and women. Among many other projects, the Foundation has worked with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on its Sports Diplomacy Strategy at the F1 Australian Grand Prix.