What is Sportwashing? FIFA faces criticism as Qatar hosts 2022 World Cup

Since FIFA announced Qatar as the host of the 2022 World Cup, it has faced severe criticism. People have questioned FIFA's decision as Qatar has been criticised for its human rights laws and treatment of migrant workers. Amid all this criticism, a debate has emerged surrounding the concept of "sportwashing."

But what is "sportwashing"?

Sportwashing is a soft power tool that uses sport to clean up a murky humanitarian and political reputation. However, using sports to improve the image is not a new tactic. Several leading companies of the world have been improving their brand image through sports for a long time.

A significant reason behind this is that sport evokes powerful emotions from fans, who form strong bonds with their teams and players. Countries can use this strong sense of bonding to improve their global image.


Notably, the host of the last FIFA World Cup, Russia, was also a controversial host nation, but the tournament was able to attract 3.5 billion viewers throughout the globe.

Moreover, the concept of sportswashing is not limited to football.

Many other sporting events, including the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, have been accused of sportwashing. But reports suggest that fans do not really care about sportwashing. The findings indicate that although countries use sports to clean up their image, they may not be able to make any significant changes.

FAQs:

1. What is sportwashing?
   Sportwashing is a tool of soft power wherein sport is used to improve the image.
2. Why is FIFA facing criticism?
   FIFA is facing criticism for choosing Qatar as the World Cup host.