International Area Studies Review 15(2) 176–186 © The Author(s) 2012 Reprints and permission: sagepub. co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/2233865912447088 ias.sagepub.com The IOC as a transnational organization: Paradigm shift and its rising role in global governance Burak Herguner National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines, the Philippines Abstract The changes in the aftermath of the Cold War deeply affected the functioning of international organizations, and increased their leverage in international affairs. This article chiefly argues that the paradigm shift in the policies of the International Olympic Committee mitigated the prospect of damage to the Olympic movement and paved the way for the International Olympic Committee to figure in international affairs more effectively. In the article, it is concluded that the Olympic Games have become a significant soft power instrument for states’ foreign policy, rather than being an arena of boycotts or chauvinism, owing to the changing nature of international relations; however, it is more difficult for some states to benefit from this resource of soft power because of domestic issues. Keywords IOC, soft power, boycotts, contextual intelligence, global governance Introduction Physical movement is the essence of sport. The most common definition of the term ‘sport’ is that, above all, it is a leisure activity for fun (Durry et al., 1996). On the other hand, although the ration- ale of sport is fun and leisure, today it means much more. For example, professional athletes and players participate for financial reasons, and some politicians, being aware of sport’s importance for the masses, use it to show or increase their own popularity. Furthermore, sport teams are gener- ally identified with their regions, and sport may even reflect sectarian differences within a country. Until recently, despite remarkable instances of sport and politics interacting, the growing impact of sport on international affairs was largely underestimated by international relations scholars, and sports boycotts were seen as the sole major liaison between sport and international politics. However, Corresponding author: Burak Herguner, National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines, Quezon City 1111, the Philippines. Email: b_herguner@yahoo.com 447088IAS 15 2 10.1177/2233865912447088HergunerInternational Area Studies Review 12 Article