Reprezentace státu v mezinárodních sportovních organizacích

This master's thesis addresses the issue of state representation in international sports organizations, which constitutes a specific and often invisible dimension of sports diplomacy. The primary objective of the work is to identify and understand the mechanisms through which small and medium-sized states build their influence within institutions that formally declare political neutrality and autonomy from state power.A four-pillar model of small state representation is conceptualized for the purpose of this thesis, based on a synthesis of network governance, niche diplomacy, and representation theory. The work analyzes the specificities of international sports organizations, particularly the problem of "the agent's double loyalty," where national representatives must balance the interests of their state with the autonomous rules of international federations. The empirical part of the thesis compares two distinct governance models using the examples of FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). While FIFA represents a model with formal equality of votes, where real power is nevertheless concentrated in informal structures, the IOC utilizes the principle of co-optation and so-called "reverse representation," which deliberately weakens traditional diplomatic ties.In the final section, the constructed model is applied to a case study of the Czech Republic and the Czech Olympic Committee. The research demonstrates that in recent years, the Czech Republic has achieved a significant shift in international influence thanks to strategic specialization in marketing and communication and the systematic development of human capital through the Sports Diplomacy program. A lack of institutionalized connection to the state apparatus, specifically the absence of dedicated capacities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, was identified as the main barrier to further development.