Sportswashing

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

F1 in Bahrain is an example of sportswashing.

Sportswashing is a term used to describe the practice of nations, individuals, groups, corporations, or governments 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.[1]

At the international level, it is believed that sportswashing has been used to direct attention away from poor human rights records and corruption scandals.[2] 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

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.[3][4][5][6] The first usage of the term "sportswashing" may have been applied to Azerbaijan and its hosting of the 2015 European Games in Baku.[7]

People from countries accused of sportswashing[

which?] often argue that they simply want to enjoy sporting events in their home countries, or to either compete in better environments, and that sporting boycotts and event relocation are both unfair to sporting fans and are ineffective in changing government policy.[8][unreliable source?] 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.[9]

Companies have also been accused of sportswashing include Ineos' sponsorship of professional cycling's Team Sky (now the Ineos Grenadiers) in 2019,[10] and Arabtec's sponsorship of Manchester City F.C.[11]

Sportswashing is often very costly. For example, in March 2021, human rights organization Grant Liberty said that Saudi Arabia alone has spent at least $1.5 billion on alleged sportswashing activities.[12][13]

Hosting

Basketball

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.

Boxing

Cycling

Cricket

Association football tournaments

Russia handing over the symbolic relay baton for the hosting rights of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar in June 2018
UEFA Europa League Final
on 29 May 2019

Esports

Golf

Motorsport

Formula One

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

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Rally

Touring car racing

Olympic Games

Fireworks over Fisht Olympic Stadium following the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron at the 2014 Winter Olympics
.

Rugby Union

Kingsland railway station in New Zealand during 1981 South African rugby tour
.

Rugby Union tours involving South Africa during the Apartheid era:[77]

Tennis

Professional wrestling

Other events

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

Corporate sponsorship

Association football

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

Australian rules football

Cycling

Golf

  • 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.[134]

Motorsport

Ownership

Association football

Domestic teams:

  • Italian media proprietor
    FC Internazionale Milano were tried and acquitted five years later due that measure;[149][151] obtaining political support from the Milan fanbase, one of the largest in the country.[152] In 2018, after he sold Milan to Chinese businessman Li Yonghong, Berlusconi, through Fininvest,[clarification needed] owned AC Monza, a club that then competed in the national Serie C, with 100% of the club's shares.[clarification needed
    ]

Foreign ownership:

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

Basketball

Cricket

Cycling

Motorsport

Other

By individuals

By nations

  • Kazakhstan has joined UEFA since 2002 and has also sponsored numerous sporting events in recent years.[175][176] 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.[177][178][179] 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.[180]
  • 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.[181][182] 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.[182]

See also

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