Sportswashing is a term used to describe the practice of governments, individuals or other groups to use sport as a means to improve their reputation by distracting or diverting attention away from activities considered by others as controversial or unethical. A form of propaganda, sportswashing can be accomplished through hosting sporting events, purchasing or sponsoring sporting teams, or participating in a sport.
At the international level, it is believed that sportswashing has been used to direct attention away from poor human rights records and corruption scandals. 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 Internationally, sportswashing has been described as part of a country's soft power. The first usage of the term "sportswashing" may have been applied to Azerbaijan and its hosting of the 2015 European Games in Baku.
Gulf states accused of sportswashing have been the most vocal in attempting to dismiss these claims, often arguing that they simply want to enjoy sporting events in their home countries or attract new investments. These accused parties often say that sporting boycotts and event relocation are both unfair to sporting fans and are ineffective in changing government policy. In the case of Formula One, the league has even argued that "the sport is better able to effect change by visiting these countries and holding them to commitments they have made that are legally binding." The 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia has been cited as an example of a government's attempt to tackle the country's negative global reputation, which was low due to the Kremlin's aggressive foreign policy, with the sporting event attempting to redirect the international community's attention away from Russia's crimes and atrocities in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine to the success of the World Cup.
Companies accused of sportswashing include Ineos's sponsorship of professional cycling's Team Sky (now the Ineos Grenadiers) in 2019, and Arabtec's sponsorship of Manchester City F.C.
A key characteristic of sportswashing is the very costly efforts parties must undertake as it is not just about getting the rights to an event but building the infrastructure to hold these games. For example, leading up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup the host country Qatar, the smallest country to ever host the World Cup, invested around $220 billion into luxury accommodations, expanded transport networks, and stadiums to prepare. In March 2021, human rights organization Grant Liberty said that Saudi Arabia alone has spent at least $1.5 billion on its own alleged sportswashing activities.
As a counterview, some academic observers have argued that the term sportswashing is sometimes used by some as an overly simplistic label to selectively critique foreign governments they oppose creating a double standard that masks their own political biases.
Hosting
Basketball
The 1978 FIBA World Championship held in the Philippines under the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos The 2013 FIBA Americas Championship held in Venezuela The 2021 BAL season held in Rwanda The NBA hosting pre-season games in United Arab Emirates since 2022 The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup held partially in the Philippines under the presidency of Bongbong Marcos, the son of Ferdinand Marcos.
Combat sports Boxing The 1973 light heavyweight boxing match between South African Pierre Fourie and American Bob Foster, held in Rand Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa during the apartheid era The 1974 undisputed world heavyweight title match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, known as The Rumble in the Jungle, held in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) during the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko The 1975 world heavyweight title trilogy match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, known as Thrilla in Manila, held in Quezon City, Philippines during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos The 1980 WBA world heavyweight title match between Mike Weaver and Gerrie Coetzee held in Sun City, South Africa during the apartheid era The 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships held in Qatar The 2019 world heavyweight title rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua, known as Clash on The Dunes, held in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
Mixed martial arts Some UFC matches have been held in China, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. PFL vs. Bellator PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants PFL 10 (2024) UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov UFC Freedom 250
Cycling The 1960 UCI Road World Championships held in East Germany Tour of Qatar held in 2002–2016 Tour of Beijing held in 2011–2014 Dubai Tour held in 2014–2018 Abu Dhabi Tour held in 2015–2018 2016 UCI Road World Championships held in Qatar Tour of Guangxi held since 2017 UAE Tour held since 2019 Tour of Oman held since 2020 The 2025 UCI Road World Championships held in Rwanda
Association football tournaments
The 1934 FIFA World Cup held during the rule of Benito Mussolini in Italy The 1964 European Nations' Cup held in Spain under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco The 1978 FIFA World Cup held in Argentina under a military dictatorship led by Jorge Rafael Videla The 1988 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar The 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship held in Qatar The 2002 Supercoppa Italiana between Juventus and Parma held in Libya under Muammar Gaddafi The 2004 African Cup of Nations held in Tunisia under Zine El Abidine Ben Ali The 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup held in China (initially awarded the 2003 bid but moved to the United States due to SARS) The 2007 Copa América held in Venezuela The 2011 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar The 2013 Trophée des Champions between Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux held in Gabon The 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia The Supercoppa Italiana held two controversial football matches in Saudi Arabia: The 2018 Supercoppa Italiana between Juventus and AC Milan held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia The 2019 Supercoppa Italiana between Juventus and S.S. Lazio held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia The 2019 UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Arsenal held in Azerbaijan The 2019 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup, both held in Qatar The Supercopa de España held football matches in Saudi Arabia: 2019–2020 Supercopa de España held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2021–2022 Supercopa de España held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2022–2023 Supercopa de España, 2023–24 Supercopa de España, 2025 Supercopa de España and 2026 Supercopa de España, all held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia The Euro 2020 held in 11 countries, including three with poor human rights record and them being viewed as authoritarian: Group B, Group E, and quarter-finals held in Saint Petersburg, Russia Group A and quarter-finals held in Baku, Azerbaijan Group F and Round of 16 held in Budapest, Hungary during the second premiership of Viktor Orbán. The 2021 Diego Maradona tribute match between FC Barcelona and Boca Juniors, dubbed as "Maradona Cup", held in Saudi Arabia The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup; Saudi Arabia tried to be the sponsor, but after a series of outrages, it pulled out. The 2023 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar (originally to have been held in China) The 2023 FIFA Club World Cup held in Saudi Arabia The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup held in the United States under the Second Presidency of Donald Trump The 2026 FIFA World Cup (mostly) held in the United States under the Second Presidency of Donald Trump and some political parties in Mexico during Claudia Sheinbaum's administration The 2027 AFC Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia The 2030 FIFA World Cup to (partially) be held in Morocco The 2034 FIFA World Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia
Esports "Esportswashing" is a term sometimes used to describe sportswashing which involves esports events.
The 2019 BLAST Pro Series Finals held in the Kingdom of Bahrain Danish esports organization RFRSH Entertainment and Riot Games signed a deal to develop Saudi Arabia's NEOM project and boost esports in the region. Riot ended up scrapping the partnership after facing intense backlash from fans and their employees. The 2022 and 2023 Blast Premier World Finals held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates The Esports World Cup (EWC), formerly known as Gamers8, held annually in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia The Evolution Championship Series (EVO) was fully bought out by Saudi Arabia's Quiddya city project in February 2026, alongside announcements of plans to host future events in the country.
Golf PGA Tour China held since 2014 China Tour held in 2014–2019 Saudi International held since 2019 Aramco Team Series held since 2020 Aramco Saudi Ladies International held since 2020 LIV Golf Invitational Series funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, beginning in 2022
Motorsport
Formula One
Spanish Grand Prix held from 1951 to 1975 under Francoist Spain Argentine Grand Prix held from 1953 to 1981 under separate military dictatorships Portuguese Grand Prix held from 1958 to 1960 under Estado Novo South African Grand Prix held from 1960 to 1985 under apartheid Brazilian Grand Prix held from 1972 to 1984 under military dictatorship Malaysian Grand Prix held from 1999 to 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix held since 2004 Chinese Grand Prix held since 2004 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix held since 2009 Russian Grand Prix held from 2014 to 2021 The 2016 European Grand Prix and the succeeding Azerbaijan Grand Prix held since 2017, held in Baku, Azerbaijan Turkish Grand Prix held in 2020 and 2021 Qatar Grand Prix held since 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix held since 2021
Formula E Beijing ePrix held in 2014–2015 Putrajaya ePrix held in 2014–2015 Moscow ePrix held in 2015 Diriyah ePrix held since 2018 Sanya ePrix held in 2019
Grand Prix motorcycle racing Argentine motorcycle Grand Prix held in 1981–1982 under military dictatorship South African motorcycle Grand Prix held in 1983–1985 under apartheid Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix held since 1991 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix held in 1996–1997 under Suharto and since 2025 under Prabowo Subianto Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix held since 2004 Thailand motorcycle Grand Prix held since 2018
Rally The Dakar Rally held in Saudi Arabia since 2020 Rally Saudi Arabia held since 2025
Touring car racing FIA WTCR Race of Bahrain held in 2022 FIA WTCR Race of Saudi Arabia held in 2022
IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington D.C. scheduled to be held in 2026 during the ongoing ICE killings
Olympic Games
The 1936 Winter Olympics held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Germany The 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Nazi Germany The 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City, Mexico (specially after Tlatelolco massacre) The 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union The 1988 Summer Olympics held in military-led Seoul, South Korea The 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China The 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia The 2022 Winter Olympics held in Beijing, China The inaugural Olympic Esports Games, planned to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027
Rugby union
Rugby union tours involving South Africa during the Apartheid era:
The 1949, 1960, 1970, 1976 New Zealand tours to South Africa The 1951–1952, 1960–1961, 1965, 1969–1970 South African tours to Britain and Ireland The 1952, 1961, 1968, 1974 South Africa tours to France The 1953, 1961, 1963, 1969 Australia tours to South Africa The 1955, 1962, 1968, 1974, 1980 British & Irish Lions tours to South Africa The 1956, 1965, 1971 South Africa tours to Australia The 1956, 1965, 1981 South Africa tours to New Zealand The 1958, 1964, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1980 France tours to South Africa The 1960 Scotland tour to South Africa