The paper explores the potential for cooperation between the BRICS+ countries in digitization of international sports; it seeks to identify the most promising ways of joint action to advance the use of digital tools for the development of the Olympic movement. The research objective is to determine forms of digital diplomacy for the BRICS+ members that may assist Russia in promoting its Olympic activities. Based on the data from the United Nations’ “e-Government Knowledge” (United Nations, 2022), the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia, Federal Statistics Service and Higher School of Economics (Anisimov et al, 2023) have established four broad categories of indicators to measure the development of digital economy and society. These indicators are expected to become a valuable tool of advancing the Russian Olympic movement. The authors have identified the leading countries in digital development within the BRICS+ association and pointed out the most significant benefits of cooperation within this alliance that should contribute to the development of Olympic education, marketing and information support.

В данной статье исследуется потенциал сотрудничества стран БРИКС+ в контексте цифровизации международного спорта. Цель исследования — выявить наиболее важные формы сотрудничества между странами БРИКС+ с использованием цифровых инструментов для развития олимпийского движения, а также определить формы цифровой дипломатии для членов БРИКС+, способствующие развитию олимпийского движения в России. Основываясь на данных “Знаний об электронном правительстве” ООН, Министерство цифрового развития России, Федеральная служба статистики и Высшая школа экономики выделили четыре широкие категории показателей для измерения развития цифровой экономики и общества, которые способны внести вклад в развитие олимпийского движения в стране. В результате исследования были выявлены страны-лидеры в цифровом развитии в рамках БРИКС+ и определены наиболее значимые преимущества сотрудничества в рамках этого альянса, способствующие развитию отдельных аспектов олимпийского движения, таких как олимпийское образование, маркетинг и информационная поддержка Олимпийского комитета России.

digital diplomacy, BRICS+ nations, Olympic movement, digital economy, cooperation, Russian Olympic Committee

цифровая дипломатия, страны БРИКС+, олимпийское движение, цифровая экономика, сотрудничество, Олимпийский комитет России

The relations between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) were seriously damaged when, on October 23, 2023, the IOC temporarily suspended the recognition of the ROC, prompting the latter to explore alternative ways for Russia and some of the Russia-friendly nations to cooperate in the development of the Olympic movement (IOC, 2023).

From January 1, 2024, the expanded BRICS (BRICS+) alliance includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia. Two years previously, at the 15th BRICS Summit, its actual participants and prospective members agreed to strengthen their efforts in sports cooperation. So far, there has been very little research into the sports industry of the BRICS+ countries and the impact of digital economy on this area of social and economic life remains practically unexplored. The present study was motivated by the possibility to discover new areas for integration within the BRICS+ group.

The paper aims to identify the forms of digital diplomacy for the BRICS+ members that would contribute to the development of the Russian Olympic movement. Based on the data from the United Nations’ “e-Government Knowledge”, the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia, Federal Statistics Service, and Higher School of Economics have established four broad categories of indicators for measuring the development of digital economy and society. These indicators are expected to become a valuable tool of advancing the Russian Olympic movement. The authors have identified the leading countries in digital development within the BRICS+ association and determined the most significant benefits of cooperation within this alliance that should contribute to the development of Olympic education, marketing and informational support of the Russian Olympic Committee.

The theoretical basis of the present paper is formed by the study of economic development with changing technical-economic phases by Glazyev (2016) and Usenko (2015) who describe a sequence of economic growth phases and their direct correlation with the advancement of innovative technologies. According to their theory, in 2020s we have been witnessing the transition to the sixth techno-economic phase, i.e. economy of digitalization with all its advantages and disadvantages. This transition means that public administration needs new approaches to scientific and innovative development in order to meet the two major challenges: establishment of digital infrastructure and development of human capital.

In the paper “Human Resources in the Field of Science and Technology”, I. P. Tsapenko analyzed trends in employment and the effective use of intellectual resources. The study found that “...countries with a high percentage of scientists and engineers in the workforce are leaders in terms of innovation... . There are special government programs that help improve workers’ skills in digitalization of sports” (Tsapenko, 2014). Ustenko V. S. (2015) expresses the same view in his study “Changes in Approaches to the Formation of Educational Structure of Human Potential during the Transition to New Technological Phases”. He uses methodology of the International Labor Organization to work out optimum solutions to the issues of the state educational policy emphasizing the relationship between the quality of educational structures in a country and the scale of its innovative activities: countries that embrace innovative technologies are more willing to introduce innovation practices in education and create human capital with scientific and technological knowledge.

The research on regulatory frameworks for the sports industry also involves digital transformation security issues. Koneva (2020) points out that “today, the sports industry faces a significant commercial and analytical burden. One of the biggest challenges is data de-identification”. “Data de-identification” refers to the problems with identification of athlete data that may occur within sport organizations. Identification, in turn, aims to verify data, such as full name, documents, biometric data and physiological state of the athlete. In Koneva’s view, this process is a major source of problems in sport digitalization.

The research by Minbaleev and Titova concerns data processing systems that involve artificial intelligence. Some of them use personal data of athletes and coaches; this certainly requires legislative attention (Minbaleev & Titova, 2020).

The BRICS+ countries are active in international sports, both as participants and organizers. W. Vamplew conducted a retrospective analysis of the impact of major sports events on the economic development of Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa (Vamplew, 2023), e.g. competitions organized under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA, the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and regional unions of national Olympic committees. Between 1990 and 2023, the BRICS countries were very active in organizing large-scale events, including Olympics and World Championships. However, none of these events had brought significant benefits to the host countries (Vamplew, 2023). His research shows that in India, Brazil and South Africa, hosting such events led to increases in regional inequality, which in this case refers to uneven distribution of infrastructure costs in host cities that do not correspond to the capabilities of other regions of the country (Vamplew, 2023). Beijing is an exception to this trend as it has used the Olympic legacy to launch various event initiatives and was the first city to host both Summer and Winter Olympiсs. Out of the seven sports venues in the Beijing city cluster only two were rebuilt for the 2022 Olympic; the remaining five were part of the legacy infrastructure from the 2008 Olympics that accounted for approximately 71% of all sports facilities in use. In 2022 Winter Olympics only two billion dollars was spent on construction of sporting facilities while a large portion of the funds was invested in urban and transport infrastructure. This allowed the Beijing-2022 organizing committee to focus most of its investments on improving the two out-of-city clusters, reducing the overall cost of hosting the Games and insuring the effective post-Games use of the Olympic facilities for government and private interests.

To estimate the prospects of integrated cooperation between the BRICS+ countries one needs to know the strengths and weaknesses of each country as well as their leaders in various areas of digital development. To this end we have employed a methodology developed jointly by the Ministry of Digital Development, Federal State Statistics Service and the Higher School of Economics. This methodology allowed us to identify four broad categories of indicators related to the digital economy and society that may contribute to the development of the Olympic movement. These indicators include the expansion of internet connectivity, e-commerce activity, human capital and electronic government (Table 1).

The main indicators of digital economy and society relate to the activities that have a direct impact on the development of Olympic movement. Based on the categories of indicators shown above, we carry out an analysis using data on BRICS+ from the United Nations’ global statistics on digitalization in the “e-Government Knowledge” countries. The first indicator is the index of electronic government development, a useful tool for facilitating international communication related to socio-economic integration. The results of the analysis are shown in Table 2.

The United Nations’ ranking of state digital development indices includes “E-Government”, “Internet penetration”, and “E-Participation”. These indicators show the level of interaction between citizens and government agencies through digital service systems. Brazil holds the leading position among the BRICS+ nations; the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and Saudi Arabia have a significant advantage owing to their highly developed “E-Government” and “Internet penetration”.

The BRICS+ members have varying degrees of economic development and implementation of digital technologies. To analyze the degree of digitalization among the BRICS+, we used a methodology for calculating a normalized value that allowed us to identify the strengths of each country and analyze the impact of digital economy on sports (Table 3).

The normalized value is calculated using formula 1.

k is the number of indicator groups;

j is the group of index; j = 1, k = 4(5)

(1)

Where:

i is the index in j^th subgroup;

Х is the value from i^th; j ^th subgroup.

Results. The results of the calculations are only representative of the sample of countries (BRICS+) included in this study. This analysis aimed to identify leaders within the group and did not include data for all countries in the ranking. The relevant data is presented in Table 3.

The general concept of E-Government includes the use of technology to streamline the provision of government information and public administration through digital tools. These initiatives range from basic online platforms and transaction systems to more sophisticated systems such as mobile apps, e-document management and artificial intelligence-powered chatbots.

The development of these services has been driven by technological advancements and changing needs of the citizens. The goal is to enhance the efficiency, accessibility and effectiveness of government services. This section will explore some of the most significant innovations in “E-Government” delivery. For example, in China artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots have become a focus for public administration development. AI technologies are being used more often in e-government services to streamline processes and engage citizens. These innovations represent a valuable tool for enhancing the administration of sports federations integral to the national Olympic movement.

Next, a normalized value was calculated based on the indicators of the “Human resources” and “E-Commerce”. The analysis of indicators of digital development is presented in Tables 4 and 5.

The Human resources indicator takes into account the number of internet users in relation to household internet access. It also involves employees with special skills in information and communication technologies, as well as users of software products.

Human resources in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT) form the basis for the integration processes in digital technologies, where all management decisions and initiatives are, in one way or another, related to human and social factors.

As concerns the strategies for the development of sports in BRICS+ countries, only Russia has official guidelines for boosting personnel qualifications in the digitalization of sports; these are stated in its national Strategy for the Development of Physical Education and Sports until 2030. The Olympic movement is an integral part of this strategy.

Russia is the leader in terms of human resources among the BRICS+ countries (Fig. 1). Due to the rapid adoption of digital technologies in the industry, there is a need to enhance the skills of personnel involved in the digitalization of sports. It is therefore essential to explore opportunities for academic mobility within Olympic education programs in BRICS+ through universities and secondary schools.

Figure 1. 

The BRICS+ human resources’ quality for digitalization by region, based on the calculation of a normalized value * the value colors from 3,8 (min) to 10 (max) are at the top of the map Source: compiled by authors

The indicator “E-Commerce” (Table 5) is also significant. E-Commerce refers to purchasing, selling, transferring or exchanging goods or information through computer networks. The key elements involved are computerization, automation, integration, publication, communication, and trade. Data on the indicators of “E-Commerce” are presented in Table 5.

Electronic sports services can be seen as including the three stages:

1. Motivation to purchase: individuals express interest in a particular service or tool for their chosen sport through active research and comparison; they gather, select and compare information, and make a decision.

2. Information analysis: during the purchasing process, individuals gather information both passively and through the advice of friends and colleagues. This information often determines the final decision. Consumers primarily consider the convenience of a sports facility, its functionality, reliability and price. They gather data from various sources about the products to compare them and make an informed decision. Next, consumers proceed to the stage of making a purchasing decision. Initially, consumers’ satisfaction is conditional and is based on their financial capacity. In the Olympic movement this factor becomes particularly significant during major international sporting events, where seat reservation and electronic ticket purchase are crucial.

3. Implementing projects to promote a sports organization image: these are essential as they contribute to the success of a sports brand. Such projects can involve cooperation between countries and organizations.

The UAE, China and Brazil are all actively implementing innovative technologies in public administration and service sectors. As the sports industry develops, these countries are also adopting electronic service systems for business operations. For companies involved in the production of sports goods, using e-commerce facilitates communication with customers and promotes their services.

In the developing economies, however, internet access is limited, traditional brick-and-mortar retail still dominates the market and so the adoption of e-services is still in its early stages (Egypt, Iran and Ethiopia). The advent of social media and Web 3.0 technology presents new opportunities for digitalization in the sports industry but not all countries make digitalization of the Olympic movement their priority.

We conducted an in-depth analysis of digital strategies at the national level pursued mostly by the state-level government agencies responsible for physical activity and sports and national Olympic committees. The findings are summarized in Addition 1.

The analysis has shown different approaches to implementing sports-related innovations in the BRICS+ countries. For instance, the South African Olympic Committee uses digitalization as a rebranding tool; in the UAE, it is primarily employed in Olympic education.

Factoring in the indicators of digital development, development priorities of the national Olympic committees and legacies of multisport events, we have concluded that the UAE, China, Brazil and Russia have the greatest potential for integrating innovation in the world of sports .

Figure 2. 

UAE’s digital development indicators. Source: compiled by authors

In the UAE, e-government has been implemented across all sectors of the economy. The federal government is committed to enhancing and maintaining the UAE’s competitiveness by adopting best global practices in e-government initiatives. The introduction of innovative solutions to the e-government framework is intended to meet customer expectations. This is to be achieved through leveraging advanced digital infrastructure and skilled human resources within government organizations. The UAE is a leading member of the BRICS+ in electronic administration, telecommunications infrastructure and electronic services.

Based on the analysis of digital development indicators and guidelines of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Olympic Committee (NOC), it has been found that the country has most advanced educational programs in digitalization of sports offered by the National Olympic Academy (Table 6). This fact may be important for the proposed cooperation.

Figure 3. 

China’s digital development indicators. Source: compiled by authors

China is demonstrating remarkable progress in the area of digital technologies having achieved a balanced development of the digital economy and society.

China is actively using its e-government potential to acquire, integrate, customize and utilize its internal and external resources to achieve the government’s strategic objectives; cooperation between government agencies is seen as a crucial component of the country’s digital transformation.

China is a leading nation in the areas of innovative resources and e-commerce. Its plans for physical education and sports development involve exclusive utilization of domestic technologies (Тable 7). The country’s technological capabilities and willingness to use innovative tools within the sports industry could enhance the proposed framework for cooperation among the BRICS+ participants.

Brazil in its turn has the highest E-Participation indicator, which is part of the expanded e-government index. In countries with federal structures, such as Brazil, challenges related to the digitalization of public administration become even more complex due to high demand for enhanced service delivery. On the one hand, society puts pressure on the government to provide standardized public services at a national level and identify users of these services. On the other hand, federal-level entities need to remain competitive in other areas to promote socio-economic development, which may conflict with population needs.

Figure 4. 

Brazilian digital development indicators. Source: compiled by authors

In Brazil, the autonomy of the federal entities presents even greater challenges to achieving the effectiveness of digital government policies. The federal territories and municipalities have a crucial role to play in the development and assessment of public policies implemented by the constituent entities of the federation, given their closer proximity to citizens. In this regard, indices and indicator systems for subnational governments are essential, as they facilitate the measurement, comparison, and monitoring of the progress of specific programs, including those related to digital government.

Brazil’s official documents show that there are two ministries responsible for the country’s digitalization and sport development: the Ministry of Digital Development and the Ministry of Sport. Their cooperation is aligned with the Digital Transformation strategy of the Brazilian government (Estratégia brasileira para a transformação digital).

Brazil is one of three BRICS countries, alongside China and India, who prioritized information and communication technology development as a tool for economic modernization in the 1990s. Later, Brazil also implemented joint cyber security projects with Russia as part of the BRICS cooperation.

As it is becoming more and more important to ensure the safety of collecting, processing and storing the data related to athletes and sports organizations, the cyber security project appears to be a promising avenue for the BRICS+ sports cooperation. Russia and Brazil already have similar policies on innovation management in the sports sector. Both countries have federal systems of government, which facilitates integrated interactions and cooperation initiatives.

As the main contributor to the speed and span of digitalization, the government has a clear understanding of the digital development objectives outlined in the state guidelines for sports development and in the documents of the National Olympic Committee. All plans for the development of the Olympic movement are governed by the ROC Development Strategy U-2028 and are in line with the Federal act on Physical Education and Sports from 2007.

Concerning the types of socio-economic integration with other countries in the context of developing the Olympic movement, the major documents are, first, the Federal act on physical education and sports (2007) and, second, the Strategy for the development of physical education and sports U-2030.

Figure 5. 

Indicators of Russia’s digital development. Source: compiled by authors

The Federal act stipulates that the Russian Olympic Committee is the governing body for physical education and sport in Russia, which therefore has the authority to organize sports training for additional educational personnel (On Physical Education and Sports in the Russian Federation, 2007). The Russian International Olympic University is continuously enhancing its programs for advanced training of management personnel in sport and physical education. These programs can and should be supplemented with new and relevant data on digitization of physical education and sport that are now being supplied by our partners from the integration association.

Another area of collaboration could be joint career development activities and international competitions in the information and communication technologies among young professionals. Such events have been organized by Panasonic as part of the Olympic Youth Games. The Strategy for the Development of Physical Education and Sport U-2030 points out that Olympic Council for Digitalization could provide career guidance to young individuals and thus boost the number of qualified specialists capable of promoting sports digitalization.

The present study of cooperation within the BRICS+ group has paid special attention to the approaches and models of public administration. The research has shown that China, UAE, Russia, India and Brazil, i.e. countries most focused on developing the digital economy, employ different tools and in many ways contribute to the advancement of the Olympic movement through the BRICS+ organization.

China, as a leader among the BRICS countries in terms of scientific and technological advancement, places the use of domestic technologies and their integration into the national economy at the forefront of its 15-year strategy. China’s digital economy is a separate area of growth, which is not directly connected with the plans on the international sports development.

In the UAE, digitalization of sports is a significant part of educational programs development conducted by the National Olympic Academy. This represents a promising avenue for integration between the UAE NOC and the ROC.

The development of the Russia-Brazil cyber security project as part of cooperation in the context of the Olympic movement is another area of possible integration. Russia and Brazil also have similar policies regarding the management of innovative developments of physical education and sports. The federal nature of both countries provides an additional advantage for the implementation of cooperation programs.

Given the results of the analysis and priority areas for the development of digital technologies in the leading BRICS+ countries, it is possible to outline proposals on cooperation for the Russian Olympic movement. Its development can be promoted by:

1) cooperation in providing cyber security of athletes, coaches and sports organizations involved in the Olympic movement in Russia;

2) using the new 5G standard technologies, prioritized by China’s digital economy, to organize competitions between BRICS+ NOCs;

3) educational programs on sports digital transformation for training the sport management staff and Olympic education programs at schools and universities using the experience of the UAE National Olympic Academy.