The maldives as a sport space

The inhabited islands of the Maldives archipelago are not very large in size, ranging from a few hundred meters to a few square kilometres. What emerges from a first glance in person is confirmed by subsequent spatial analyzes through satellites, namely that the space dedicated to sport is interesting. Often, on an island of a few hundred meters, one hundred of these are dedicated to a football field; on some islands, sports spaces cover almost a third of the entire surface area. This primary spatial element of the Maldivian islands opens a range of discussions that will be the subject of this thesis. These initial observations are what pushed me to investigate the connection between sport and space in the Maldivian context. Why is sport so important in the socio-territorial framework of the Maldives? Do only playful dimensions come into play, such as the dimension of spending time in an "isolated" context, or is the sportisation of space also promoted with political purposes? Does sport help build a local and/or national identity? Can it be considered a form of soft power? Internationally, does sport help promote the image of the Maldives in a context of glocalization? If yes, to what extent and in what way? This analysis is part of a broader reflection on the relationship between sport and soft power. To this end, the research question I asked myself is what role does sport have in the Maldives? Can it be considered to have a soft power dimension? Does this place the Maldives in a framework of regional trends, or it is something limited only to the local dimension? Moreover, what role does sport play in the international arena where the Maldives play?

Introduction and research question. The inhabited islands of the Maldives archipelago are not very large in size, ranging from a few hundred meters to a few square kilometres. What emerges from a first glance in person is confirmed by subsequent spatial analyzes through satellites, namely that the space dedicated to sport is interesting. Often, on an island of a few hundred meters, one hundred of these are dedicated to a football field; on some islands, sports spaces cover almost a third of the entire surface area. This primary spatial element of the Maldivian islands opens up a range of discussions that will be the subject of this thesis. These initial observations are what pushed me to investigate the story between sport and space in the Maldivian context. Why is sport so important in the socio-territorial framework of the Maldives? Do only playful dimensions come into play, such as the dimension of spending time in an "isolated" context, or is the sportisation of space also promoted with political purposes? Does sport help build a local and/or national identity? Can it be considered a form of soft power? Internationally, does sport help promote the image of the Maldives in a context of glocalization? If yes, to what extent and in what way? This analysis is part of a broader reflection on the relationship between sport and soft power. To this end, the research question I asked myself is what role does sport have in the Maldives? Can it be considered to have a soft power dimension? Does this place the Maldives in a framework of regional trends or something that is limited to the local dimension?