2022- A milestone year for sportswashing
By Jack Kelly (Deputy Sports Editor)
In a post-COVID world, where sports lovers across the globe have a newfound appreciation for the various games we love. It is unfortunate that a year in which the restrictions imposed on those of us living in the west have been dropped, will also be a monumental year for multiple nations imposing their draconian restrictions on people in
the east while using major sporting events as an opportunity to cover up their horrifying human rights records.
From the start of the year with the Beijing Winter Olympics right through to the World Cup final in Qatar on the 18th of December, countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar will have infiltrated some of the world's most prestigious sporting events to sanitise their public image or regime. This is a common practice known as ‘sportswashing’. This term was first used by Amnesty International in 2018 as a process using sport to distract from the horrors being committed by a state. Although this term is new to public discourse, it has been a strategy used for decades by oppressive regimes to launder their reputations. The 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin was used by Hitler to showcase the Third Reich and German superiority. The iconic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman was hosted in Zaire [Modern day Democratic Republic of Congo] by the dictator Mobuto Sese Soko to generate positivity for Zaire.
Even though sportswashing has been commonplace for decades, 2022 is a major cause for concern because it is now clear that this approach has gained traction and is beginning to take over sports. The two most watched sporting events in the world- the Olympic Games and the World Cup- will take place in countries synonymous with oppression. The Winter Games took place in February in China, a country known for its appalling human rights record, genocide of its Uyghur Muslim community and opposition to Taiwan's independence. Countries such as the United States and the UK decided to send their athletes but decided against sending government representatives in response to China’s human rights record. A token gesture. China responded by threatening that these countries would ‘pay price’ for the boycott. Other countries such as France and Italy decided against joining the boycott
Eyebrows were raised and questions of corruption were posed when FIFA awarded Qatar the World Cup in December 2010. Qatar had long been receiving negative attention for its restriction on free expression, criminalising same sex relationships and lack of punishment for violence towards women and minorities. Human rights groups have voiced concerns over whether it will be safe for female fans to report incidents of sexual violence at the World Cup owing to precedents set by Qatari law. Recent victims of physical or sexual assault have been accused of extra-marital sex and not received anything resembling emotional support or professional services. A Muslim woman accused of extra-marital sex can face a brutal punishment of flogging- being beaten with a stick or whip. FIFA and the Qatari government have responded to these worries by insisting that they are satisfied with existing measures.
A major escalation of concern for the issue of human rights for migrant workers occurred when it was announced that Qatar was getting ready to host the World Cup. Between 500,000 and 1,500,000 were employed to build the stadium with many living in subpar living conditions without basic amenities such as running water or sewage. There is an estimate of 6,500 deaths related to the construction of stadiums in Qatar with many believing this figure to be an underestimate.
A harrowing thought to have to come to terms with is the negligence of those who are aware of these abuses and, by choice, enable the abusers in exchange for commercial benefit. Amnesty International and other organisations have appealed to FIFA and the Qatari government to provide compensation to those who have suffered while working on the stadiums in Qatar. The social media accounts of virtually every major sponsor
rightfully show solidarity with LGBTQ+ groups, minorities and women yet out of 31 non-host nations and 19 sponsors only four federations and four sponsors [Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald’s and Anheuser-Busch] have expressed support for this move by Amnesty and the other organisations. Household names such as Xavi, Cafu, Samuel Eto’o and Tim Cahill have all signed on as global ambassadors while the bid itself was supported by Sir Alex Ferguson, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola. All of whom have been made aware of the human rights abuses in Qatar. David Beckham seems to have chosen to take the pledge of omerta, by remaining silent, having signed a deal reportedly worth £150 million to be ambassador for Qatar. He has never formally acknowledged Qatar’s abysmal human record. The objectives of this lucrative role originally created for him are to aid in the polishing of the image for the 2022 Qatar World Cup and then later act as a salesman for Qatar as a destination. How can he justify his work with Unicef [since 1999] and the United Nations’ children's charity while being the poster boy for Qatar? Seemingly, he is taking the much-preferred approach of many of his contemporaries and choosing profit over people. How is Qatar 2022 worth this?
In late 2021, Newcastle United became the second Premier League club to be owned by a country after Manchester City were bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group [a United Arab Emirates [UAE] based private equity company owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nayhan who is a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family and is Minister for Presidential affairs in the UAE] in 2008. Newcastle United were bought for just over £400 million by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund [PIF]. The PIF’s job is to invest funds raised from oil sales for the government. Their move to purchase Newcastle United was met with widespread criticism due to the PIF’s links to the Saudi Royal family. Saudi Arabia has long been associated with negative press due to human rights abuse, oppression of LGBTQ+ members, murder of journalists and their brutal war on Yemen.
And now with that knowledge, multi-millionaire golfers are willing to accept millions of dollars to play in the Saudi backed LIV golf league. Tiger Woods rejected close to $800 million dollars to join LIV golf while other big names such as Phil Mickleson, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell have accepted astronomical sums of money to join the breakaway league. There is a chasm between those who believe golf’s institutions are being ripped apart and others that think it’s fair enough for the players to take the money. Unlike Newcastle United and its enormous following, LIV golf is a new venture with no emotional hook to draw in the masses. It is a fresh challenge for the Saudis on whether money alone can make LIV golf a success.
There are numerous other examples of authoritarian countries using sport to enhance their reputations throughout 2022 including the NBA and Arsenal football club having separate deals with Rwandan Autocrat Paul Kagame, feared Irish drug cartel leader Daniel Kinahan being involved with boxing through MTK global and the Ultimate fighting championships relationship with Chechnya’s dictator Ramzan Kadryov. It is a worrying trend that is growing rapidly and being enabled.
What is sport meant to mean? Generally speaking, it means commitment, loyalty and passion. There is an emotional power in sport and this emotion is hard to separate from a state’s human rights abuses amid celebrating a victory. This is why sportswashing is so effective. It taps into that emotional stimulation gained from sport. Couple this with unlimited resources and it is no coincidence that we are seeing a plethora of successes for sportswashing within a calendar year and over time.
The idea of a sporting utopia is hard to imagine in a year bookended by sportswashing. However, that doesn’t mean that improvements can’t be made and that a vision shouldn’t be worked towards. The beauty of sport deserves better and, in a year where sportswashing has reached unprecedented heights, it should be time for reflection for fans, athletes and sporting bodies on where their sport is going.