Abstract: Based on the deepening trend of theoretical innovation, the practical direction of how sports diplomacy is useful determines its application. This study deconstructed the functional mechanism of sports diplomacy with the international political signal theory. It was divided into two main scenarios of international political signal exchange: "front stage–back stage", and its two major theaters: "traditional diplomacy–sports diplomacy"; also the promotion mechanism for the script adjustment for "front stage–back stage", and the promotion mechanism for the script transposition of "front stage sports diplomacy–front stage traditional diplomacy". A historical empirical analysis was conducted on the "Ping-Pang Diplomacy between China and the United States". Through a new interpretation and reexamination of past historical materials, the operational mechanism of sports diplomacy in transmitting political signals between countries was summarized. On this basis, the study systematically explained the use of sports diplomacy in the process of international political signals from "why it is useful" to "how it is applied", and extracted the specific effects of sports as a special lever for transmitting international political signals from the back stage sports diplomacy, front stage sports diplomacy and front stage traditional diplomacy.