Sportswashing is a term used to describe the practice of nations, individuals, groups, corporations, or the government using sports to improve reputations tarnished by wrongdoing. A form of propaganda, sportswashing can be accomplished through hosting sporting events, purchasing or sponsoring sporting teams, or participating in a sport.[3]

F1 in Bahrain is an example of sportswashing.[1][2]

At the international level, it is believed that sportswashing has been used to direct attention away from poor human rights records and corruption scandals.[4] At the individual and corporate levels, it is believed that sportswashing has been used to cover up vices, crimes, and scandals. Sportswashing is an example of reputation laundering.

Overview

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President Vladimir Putin holding the FIFA World Cup Trophy at a pre-tournament ceremony in Moscow on 9 September 2017

Internationally, sportswashing has been described as part of a country's soft power.[5][6][7][8] The first usage of the term "sportswashing" may have been applied to Azerbaijan and its hosting of the 2015 European Games in Baku.[9]

Officials and organizations accused of sportswashing[which?]: in recent years Gulf states have been the most vocal to push back against these claims, often arguing that they simply want to enjoy sporting events in their home countries, or to engage in new investments.[10][11] These accused parties often say that sporting boycotts and event relocation are both unfair to sporting fans and are ineffective in changing government policy. In the case of F1, the league has even argued that "the sport is better able to effect change by visiting these countries and holding them to commitments they have made that are legally binding."[12][unreliable source?][13][14] The 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia has been cited as an example to tackle the country's global reputation, which was low due to its foreign policy and the sporting event changed the focus of discussions to the success of the World Cup.[15]

Companies accused of sportswashing include Ineos' sponsorship of professional cycling's Team Sky (now the Ineos Grenadiers) in 2019,[16] and Arabtec's sponsorship of Manchester City F.C.[17]

A key characteristic of sportswashing is the very costly efforts parties must undertake as it is not just about getting the rights to an event but building the infrastructure to hold these games. For example, leading up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup the host country Qatar, the smallest country to ever host the World Cup, invested around $220 billion into luxury accommodations, expanded transport networks, and stadiums to prepare.[18] In March 2021, human rights organization Grant Liberty said that Saudi Arabia alone has spent at least $1.5 billion on its own alleged sportswashing activities.[19][20]

Hosting

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Basketball

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Philippine President Bongbong Marcos in a courtesy call with members of the FIBA Central Board on 28 April 2023 the day before the Drawing Ceremony.

Combat sports

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Boxing

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Mixed martial arts

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The following were held in Saudi Arabia in 2024.

Cycling

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Cricket

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Association football tournaments

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Russia handing over the symbolic relay baton for the hosting rights of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar in June 2018
 
Chelsea playing against Arsenal at Baku Olympic Stadium during the UEFA Europa League Final on 29 May 2019

Esports

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Golf

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Motorsport

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Formula One

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Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates Lewis Hamilton, the winner of 2014 Russian Grand Prix
 
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev awarding the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix trophy to race winner Valtteri Bottas

Formula E

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Grand Prix motorcycle racing

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Rally

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Touring car racing

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Olympic Games

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Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring and Swedish Prince Gustav Adolf at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany
 
Fireworks over Fisht Olympic Stadium following the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Rugby Union

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Police officers guarding a barbed wire perimeter around Eden Park near Kingsland railway station in New Zealand during 1981 South African rugby tour.

Rugby Union tours involving South Africa during the Apartheid era:[90]

Tennis

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Professional wrestling

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Other events

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Paramount leader of China Xi Jinping attends the opening ceremony of 2019 Military World Games in Wuhan, China

Corporate sponsorship

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Association football

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Luis Suárez wearing FC Barcelona jersey bearing Qatar Airways logo as sponsor

Australian rules football

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Cycling

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Golf

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  • The Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, Public Investment Fund sponsored the LIV Golf in 2021. Human rights organizations criticized Saudi Arabia for sportwashing its image through the tournament. Human Rights Watch also wrote a letter to LIV Golf urging the league to adopt a strategy that would minimize the risk of reputation laundering by the Saudi Arabian government.[150]

Motorsport

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Ownership

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Association football

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Domestic teams:

Foreign ownership:

 
Newcastle United fans celebrating the completed takeover of the team outside St James' Park on 7 October 2021

Basketball

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  • Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov ownership of NBA team Brooklyn Nets. Prokhorov was known to be a close ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2017, Prokhorov sold the team which was alleged to have been a request from Putin.[178] The team was later bought by Hong Kong businessman Joe Tsai. Tsai was previously criticized for his praise of China's restrictions on personal freedoms and expressing his support of Hong Kong national security law.[179]

Cricket

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Cycling

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Motorsport

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Other

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By individuals

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By nations

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Protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Prague against the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The banner reads, "Artificial snow, real genocide".
  • Kazakhstan has joined UEFA since 2002 and has also sponsored numerous sporting events in recent years.[190][191] Kazakhstan has been accused of being an authoritarian dictatorship due to its repression on dissidents and censorship of media, and that their UEFA membership association has also been under criticism as Kazakhstan has shared more commons with the authoritarian AFC than with more democratic UEFA due to the majority of Asian nations being authoritarian as contrast to European ones, which has gained headline after Kazakhstan become the first UEFA member after Belarus to send a national team (U-21) to play Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.[192][193][194] Additionally, FC Astana, a football project launched by the autocratic government of Nursultan Nazarbayev to gain foothold in Europe and justify its membership switch, was also seen as sportswashing.[195]
  • Myanmar has been recently allowed to host the 2022 AFF Championship and their clubs allowed to play home games in the 2023–24 AFC Cup despite grave human rights concerns in the aftermath of the Myanmar protests and massacres by the Tatmadaw on unarmed protesters.[196][197] Additionally, the AFC is also accused of sportswashing in support for the Tatmadaw, by denying the request of the Australian club Macarthur FC to play their away match against Burmese opponent Shan United F.C. in a neutral ground.[197]
  • Israel competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024.[198] Prior to the games, Palestinian sports organizations and sports organizations from Arab countries called for sanctions to be imposed against Israel for its war crimes against Palestinians and to prevent its participation in the 2024 Summer Olympics due to the Israel–Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.[199]

See also

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References

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