For some nations where these events cannot be facilitated, Olympic success would be
more significant. Governments often believe that winning medals enhances their image
globally, which is their reason to invest and intervene in elite sports. Based on
this belief, the researchers tried to determine how sports actors perceive the relationship
between elite sporting success and prestige and its reflection on their related policies.
To achieve this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Iranian sports
officials and sport managers in charge of elite sports. The results identified four
themes in interviewees' speeches related to the objective of the study, including
(1) sporting success at the Olympic Games and international prestige, (2) fairness
and international prestige, (3) sport and diplomatic relations, (4) media coverage
and international prestige. Taken together, these results suggest that the concept
of international prestige is notably essential when it comes to the country where
the international image might not be positive toward that particular country. Sports
as a soft power tool can play this role and build a positive image for that country
in different ways. The findings contribute to elite sporting success, sports and country
image research, sports international prestige, and sports diplomacy in Iran. Keywords:
Olympic success
