Sportswashing - statistics & facts
Although sportswashing as a term is relatively new, the concept itself is not. While companies and countries with poor human rights records have used sports to launder their reputation for decades, the issue has become a hot topic in recent years, fueled in particular by the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Both fans and human rights organizations criticized the host nation’s LGBTQ+ laws and working conditions, and yet Qatar is far from being the only country to face allegations of sportswashing. The country mentioned most often in English-language articles about sportswashing was found to be China, host of the Winter Olympics in 2022. Soccer is also not the only sport to be impacted, with a significant share of U.S. Americans believing the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour to be an example of sportswashing. It is clear then that sportswashing is wide-ranging and cannot be pinned down to one region or sport in particular.
