The Rugby Gambit

The Rugby Gambit

From Face-Off: The U.S. vs China by Airwave Media

December 16, 2025 · 33 min · Season 3 · Episode 5

About this episode

The episode discusses a unique geopolitical deal involving Australia, Papua New Guinea, and China centered around rugby league.

The strangest geopolitical deal you've never heard of: Australia trades rugby league spots for an agreement not to make an agreement with China. Papua New Guinea's players get to compete Down Under and in return, China gets locked out of a strategic Pacific island. Sports diplomacy at its most serious. Guest: Oliver Nobetau, Papua New Guinea Government Lawyer & Fellow at the Lowy Institute Book Recommendations Lost In Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War 2 by Mitchell Zuckoff If you are looking for other interesting books about China, do check out the China Books Review section of the Asia Society webpage at https://chinabooksreview.com/ Face-Off: The U.S. vs. China is produced in partnership with ⁠Rowhome Productions⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guest: Oliver Nobetau

Topics covered

  • sports diplomacy
  • geopolitical deals
  • Australia
  • China
  • Papua New Guinea
  • rugby league

Keywords

  • rugby league
  • geopolitical deal
  • sports diplomacy
  • Australia
  • China
  • Papua New Guinea

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Asia Society, Lowy Institute

Books & works: Lost In Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War 2

Places: Australia, Papua New Guinea, China, Pacific

More episodes of Face-Off: The U.S. vs China

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Face-Off: The U.S. vs China podcast page.