Executive Education

Learning to excel and navigate in Sports diplomacy

We deliver bespoke, discreet and personalised executive training for sport diplomats and senior stakeholders working across international sport governance as well as conventional diplomats who are keen about learning how to leverage the power of sport in diplomatic work.

Formats range from one to one briefings to small, confidential group sessions, delivered in Geneva or on location. Our programmes focus on how international sport actually functions: institutions, decision-making, influence, bidding processes, reputational risk, and the geopolitics that shape governance outcomes. Football is used as a primary lens, with additional modules available for other sports.

Our Open Enrolment Courses address a broad range of current and emerging challenges, and are delivered in flexible formats — in person, online, and hybrid — as part of our Flex Learn approach.

Our SwISD Flagship crash course

Sports geopolitics and global sport governance (3-day intensive)

Course overview
An advanced introduction to modern sports geopolitics with a strong focus on football. The curriculum is structured around five blocks: twentieth-century foundations; sport and geopolitics; governance bodies and stakeholders; nation-building, identity and territorial dynamics; ethics, integrity and governance challenges.

Day 1: The governance map
How the international sport ecosystem is structured, who holds influence, and how Switzerland’s sport governance ecosystem operates in practice.

Day 2: Geopolitics, soft power and sports (business)
How states and institutions use sport as a diplomatic instrument, with case studies drawn from football governance, competitions and major event processes.

Day 3: Integrity, risk and executive decision-making
Governance standards, compliance, crisis handling, media and commercial pressures, and how executives manage sensitive dossiers.

What participants take away
A working understanding of global sport governance, practical tools to read institutional dynamics, and a set of case-based frameworks to support negotiations, partnerships and strategic positioning.

Optional add-ons
Closed-session simulations, tailored policy briefs, and an observation module linked to a major international match or sport governance event.

The following executive education intake dates were added as working programme markers:

1–3 October 2026 intake
Concluding with Switzerland vs Slovenia on 3 October 2026
Venue to be confirmed, Switzerland

16–18 November 2026 intake
Opening with Switzerland vs Scotland on 16 November 2026
Venue to be confirmed, Switzerland

Contact us to reserve your place.

Super Early Bird pricing for the course 30 April at midnight. 50% off

Sports Diplomacy

Confidential briefings and facilitation on sport governance and geopolitics. We support engagement strategies for governments, business federations and partners, from stakeholder mapping to integrity and crisis management.

Protocole à la genevoise

Guidance to learn from exclusive Geneva’s multilateral environment and Switzerland’s institutional landscape. Protocol support, introductions and discreet convening that connect authorities, international organisations and Swiss sport business.

Executive Education

Bespoke executive programmes for diplomats and senior leaders. Short intensives, case studies and simulations covering governance structures, sports geopolitics, major events and executive decision-making.