ABSTRACT
Using the example of sport, this article proposes to analyze border spaces as geographical and relational territories which are constructed and institutionalized by connecting national systems, public policies, stakeholders and representations. After a brief summary of the emergence of the sporting ideology promoting a competition area without borders, we will illustrate our argument based on our analysis of the Franco-German border area constituted as a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), i.e. the Strasbourg Ortenau Eurodistrict (EDSO). Examples of cooperation and shared sporting activities show that sport is an area of cross-border public action capable of creating Franco-German exchanges and raising the subject of bringing together residents from both sides of the Rhine. However, the field investigation also shows that creating events that bring different populations together is not enough for cultural exchanges to take place.
