Debatten om tennismatchen mot Rhodesia 1968

Ett bidrag till den svenska idrottens utrikespolitiska historia

Abstract

Politics interferes with sport, whether we like it or not, not least in foreign policy. Despite this, the history of Swedish sport's foreign policy is largely unwritten. Is there a common thread in how the sports movement has related to nations that for one reason or another are perceived as controversial or reprehensible? What criteria does the sports movement use to decide who should and should not be played against? How has this changed? This pilot study shows how these questions can be explored. It does so by examining the debate that arose when Sweden was due to play a Davis Cup-match against Rhodesia in Båstad in 1968. This event provides an insight into the foreign policy history of Swedish sport.