When Nazi Germany hosted the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, it was a clear example of sportswashing, even though the word hadn’t been invented yet, know more examples of this
Sportswashing involves using the hype surrounding major sports events to distract from something that should take precedence. Later the same year, Benito Mussolini would use Italy’s World Cup victory for similar ends.
For Hitler, the Olympic Games meant that most people talked less about fascism and the atrocities of the Nazi Party and more about the event itself. Russia’s successful bid to host the World Cup was yet another case of sportswashing, where fossil fuel money played a huge role in getting the games to the country not too long ago.
At the time of writing this article, we are in the middle of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is creating a humanitarian crisis, taking lives, and destabilizing the democracy. Granted, the nuances of the invasion go far beyond the games, but they did help Russia (and especially Putin) look less like the aggressor we now know him to be.
Explained: Meaning Of Sportswashing And Examples
So, just for clarity, what is sportswashing?
Sportswashing defined
Sportswashing is the process of a person, a group, an organization, or a nation/state utilizing sport to repair their tainted image by holding a sports event, purchasing or sponsoring teams, or participating in the sport itself.
Sportswashing has been utilized at the national level to divert attention from a bad human rights record and governmental corruption allegations.
While sportswashing is used to conceal and divert attention away from a person’s or company’s vices, felonies, or controversies on an individual or institutional level, it is also used to cover up and divert attention from a person’s or business’s vices, offenses, or misconduct.
The ‘22 Champions League and 2018 World Cup
While researching material for this article, the 2022 Champions League has not only drawn its round of 8 but also moved the final away from its planned venue in St. Petersburg. As death rains down on Ukraine, the damage is already done to the invaded country and to UEFA, which awarded the Russian city the honor of hosting the final not too long ago.
Like the assertions that London runs on Russian oligarch money and everyone can be bought, FIFA was bought and used as a tool to steer the games to Russia, enriching Putin’s cronies amid proven allegations of human rights abuses at the time.
The collusion begins with football’s unscrupulous Swiss headquarters. Gianni Infantino, the current FIFA president, issued an obsequious public statement condemning all forms of violence.
Infantino will be judged in the full light of history for all his activities, disingenuousness, and cozying up to despots. Going back three and a half years, Infantino was in Kremlin, declaring that the world had fallen “in love” with Russia and clutching Putin to his bosom like a brother.
Given that a former World Cup host is now invading a sovereign nation, you’d think that FIFA would find a way to prevent that from happening again. But, as the dust settled on Sochi, another fossil-fueled powerhouse in the Middle East was angling to do the same sportswashing Russia had so successfully pulled off.
FIFA has almost always been a corrupt organization, willing to bend to the whims of the heaviest wallets.
A year of sportswashing: from Beijing to Qatar
While the Olympic Games in Beijing were kicking off, Russia was massing troops on its border with Ukraine. China is an authoritarian regime that has, up to this point, been pushing to take place on the world stage with its investment vehicles.
With a high degree of credibility, it is even alleged that Xi Jinping knew about the invasion and asked Putin to delay it until after the games were over.
The games were marred by several controversies, including the disastrous decision to make all the snow used at the games artificially, but were completed nonetheless. The Olympic Games marked yet another successful bid by an authoritarian regime to sportswash its image.
China is also known for its legendarily granular censorship tactics and bans in many areas of life. Besides the general censorship of free speech, the Internet, and social media, forget about being able to play freely in one of the top online casinos or enjoy a violent video game, since China currently imposes strict bans on both activities. Moreover, Chinese citizens will probably never know where prominent figures who speak out against the Chinese ruling party have disappeared…
Meanwhile, the Middle East continues its foray into the world’s most famous sport, football.
The blood-soaked Qatar World Cup
Qatar has a long history of human rights violations. Since 2010, more than 6,500 migrant laborers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have perished in Qatar, according to a Guardian investigation published in February 2021.
The startling death toll, obtained from government sources, is almost certainly an underestimate since it excludes statistics from other nations that send many workers to Qatar, such as Kenya and the Philippines.
Hundreds of migrant laborers have perished in the building of World Cup stadiums, while more than 100 migrants working on a construction project connected to the tournament have gone without pay for up to seven months. The majority of employees were finally reimbursed. However, others are still owed payment for several months.
It is a modern-day slavery system that would have gone completely unnoticed if not for the diligent reporting by concerned journalists and human rights agencies.
Qatar’s human rights concerns include limitations of personal freedoms, modern slavery, punishment of same-sex partnerships, and a lack of responsibility for violence against women and minorities. In 2020, reforms were enacted to protect migrant workers from unethical labor, but employers still wield excessive influence and power.
Despite stories of death and mistreatment during the building of World Cup venues, Infantino declared the 2022 World Cup in Qatar a festival of sport and social inclusion on December 30.
The Premier League
Saudi Arabia has expanded its position from a top business destination to a preferred international sports events venue. Using its massive oil resources, the Kingdom has poured billions into strengthening and diversifying its position on the world stage to move away from oil and gas wealth dependence.
Newcastle United and Prince Salman
Fossil fuel tycoons buying up or sponsoring teams is not new. The most recent controversy comes from a Saudi Arabia group and its purchase of Newcastle United.
The English top-flight team was bought by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, overseen by Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman.
It is arguably one of the Kingdom’s most effective sportswashing efforts, as it gives Saudi Arabia a powerful position in English football, as well as an opportunity to improve its public image and divert attention away from recent abuses, such as the heinous killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, its horrific war in Yemen, which has resulted in a humanitarian disaster, and its tough stance on the intelligentsia, reform movements, and women’s rights activists.
Chelsea and Roman Abramovich
Another example of questionable money in the Premier League is the case of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. For years now, he has been the owner of Chelsea FC, winning titles and washing his image with a terrifying efficiency level.
Of the sanctions-hit oligarchs, Roman Abramovich was one of those affected. His club was not spared either and is now in a tricky situation with no clear path to a solid future.
Of course, Chelsea supporters may be thankful to Abramovich while still respecting the freedom of others and show their solidarity with Ukraine, but that was not the case when Chelsea fans chanted Abramovich’s name during a moment meant to applaud Ukraine’s bravery in standing up to Putin.
It was a clear case of fans taking sides in the information war. By chanting the name of an influential Russian — one who still denies close ties to Vladimir Putin and claims he acquired the club solely for his love of football, they become foot soldiers for an aggressive propaganda machine that seeks to legitimize Putin’s invasion.
That is why many oligarchs have purchased teams. The decision made by these fossil fuel billionaires entails enlisting the help of a group of their supporters as eager propagandists. You’d think that supporters would be angry at their teams being exploited, that respected institutions would be turned into instruments in a sleazy game, but anything stands if an owner can give the finances to acquire the superstars who can help the team succeed.
It continues
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has established itself as a desirable destination for sporting events, having secured a 10-year, $650 million agreement for a Formula One race, spent a fortune in a Saudi International golf tournament, and staged some of the most high-profile boxing bouts in recent memory.
The monarchy has retained the Boston Consulting Group to help campaign for the Kingdom’s interest in hosting a World Cup tournament in the not-too-distant future.
Other questionable sportswashing connections include UFC’s alarming ties to Chechnya’s dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, NBA’s budding alliance with Rwandan despot Paul Kagame, and NFL’s recently announced five-year agreement with China (which showed a map that pushed the misleading narrative that Taiwan was a part of China).
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