#sportswashing — Public Fediverse posts

#SaudiArabien nutzt internationale Sport-Großveranstaltungen zur Imagepflege und um von Menschenrechtsverletzungen abzulenken. Jetzt wird das Geld knapp... #Sportswashing
https://www.dw.com/de/saudi-arabien-verabschiedet-sich-aus-dem-sport-warum/a-77096303

#SaudiArabia #golf #sportswashing
“As a soft-power gambit channeled through the universal language of #sports, #LIV was a flop, but it wasn't a total failure. As a way to get some cheesy bribes into various pockets, it worked out fine”
“lavishly gilded, obviously #corrupt, all done on the fly and in the open and with a bunch of visibly rotting celebrities sucking around—it felt both obviously doomed and somehow inexorable” https://defector.com/saudi-arabia-pulls-money-liv-golf

@ZekuZelalem

" ... Bosaso, a city ... hosts an Emirati base from which supplies have been sent to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary in Sudan."

Oh, United Arab Emirates are part of the ongoing genocide in Sudan.

Not something that mainstream media has belaboured.

Sudan Genocide #Emirates #Etihad #Cricket #CricketAustralia #Rugby #RugbyWorldCup #Arsenal #SportsWashing
#UnitedArabEmirates #UAE #Sudan
#Darfur #SudanGenocide #RapidSupportServices #SupplyingGenocide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_genocide_(2023%E2%80%93present)

@ZekuZelalem

" ... Bosaso, a city ... hosts an Emirati base from which supplies have been sent to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary in Sudan."

Oh, United Arab Emirates are part of the ongoing genocide in Sudan.

Not something that mainstream media has belaboured.

Sudan Genocide #Emirates #Etihad #Cricket #CricketAustralia #Rugby #RugbyWorldCup #Arsenal #SportsWashing
#UnitedArabEmirates #UAE #Sudan
#Darfur #SudanGenocide #RapidSupportServices #SupplyingGenocide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_genocide_(2023%E2%80%93present)

@ZekuZelalem

" ... Bosaso, a city ... hosts an Emirati base from which supplies have been sent to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary in Sudan."

Oh, United Arab Emirates are part of the ongoing genocide in Sudan.

Not something that mainstream media has belaboured.

Sudan Genocide #Emirates #Etihad #Cricket #CricketAustralia #Rugby #RugbyWorldCup #Arsenal #SportsWashing
#UnitedArabEmirates #UAE #Sudan
#Darfur #SudanGenocide #RapidSupportServices #SupplyingGenocide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_genocide_(2023%E2%80%93present)

@ZekuZelalem

" ... Bosaso, a city ... hosts an Emirati base from which supplies have been sent to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary in Sudan."

Oh, United Arab Emirates are part of the ongoing genocide in Sudan.

Not something that mainstream media has belaboured.

Sudan Genocide #Emirates #Etihad #Cricket #CricketAustralia #Rugby #RugbyWorldCup #Arsenal #SportsWashing
#UnitedArabEmirates #UAE #Sudan
#Darfur #SudanGenocide #RapidSupportServices #SupplyingGenocide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_genocide_(2023%E2%80%93present)

@ZekuZelalem

" ... Bosaso, a city ... hosts an Emirati base from which supplies have been sent to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary in Sudan."

Oh, United Arab Emirates are part of the ongoing genocide in Sudan.

Not something that mainstream media has belaboured.

Sudan Genocide #Emirates #Etihad #Cricket #CricketAustralia #Rugby #RugbyWorldCup #Arsenal #SportsWashing
#UnitedArabEmirates #UAE #Sudan
#Darfur #SudanGenocide #RapidSupportServices #SupplyingGenocide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_genocide_(2023%E2%80%93present)

Formula One: Put Human Rights in the Driver’s Seat https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/13/formula-one-put-human-rights-in-the-drivers-seat #FormuaOne #racing #HumanRightsAbuses #Sportswashing #F1A #FI #HumanRights #China #USA #SaudiArabia

Formula One: Put Human Rights in the Driver’s Seat https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/13/formula-one-put-human-rights-in-the-drivers-seat #FormuaOne #racing #HumanRightsAbuses #Sportswashing #F1A #FI #HumanRights #China #USA #SaudiArabia

@greenpeace

All big-money sports is #sportsWashing

Either brand promotion for the corporations that own or sponsor teams or events, or countries building loyalty to their régimes.

Support local teams, owned by players and fans.

@merileedkarr

#sports

RE: https://mastodon.social/@thejuicemedia/115886801808898521

A good one here on #sportswashing in cycling.

See also Team Fracking…I mean Ineos

Surge in executions in Saudi

Almost one execution a day and a new record

January 2026

No less than 356 people were executed in 2025 exceeding the grizzly total of 338 in the previous year. Large numbers are foreign individuals. Many are executed for drugs crimes sometimes involving trivial amounts. Trials are notoriously unfair and the use of torture is routine. Most executions are thought to be by beheading.

Human Rights Watch refers to the ‘weaponising the penalty’ as a means to curb dissent. The de facto leader of Saudi is Mohammad bin Salman who was said to be keen to modernise the Kingdom. On this showing it would seem he has some way to go.

Sportswashing

A feature of the Kingdom is the vast amount being spent on sport in what has been termed ‘sportswashing’. Aided by leaders such as Boris Johnson and Donald Trump he has purchased the English football club Newcastle United and has secured the rights to the World Cup in 2034. This increase in largesse followed the murder of Khashoggi which sent huge shock waves around the world and was almost certainly ordered by MBS. We have noted before that there is no difficulty in recruiting sportsmen and women to compete in a wide variety of sports including golf, tennis, F1 motor racing, cycling and equestrianism.

He quoted as saying that “he does not care about sportswashing criticism” so long as the long-term diversification away from oil dependency is successful.

He need not worry. Western politicians are falling over themselves to visit and seek to secure trade deals. The British government’s desire for growth means human rights considerations are unlikely to intrude. The massive number of executions are unlikely to form more than a ripple on the UK government’s desire for exports, the sale of arms and investment in the UK itself.

There is a small hint of concern in an Early Day Motion 1411 in June last year:

“That this House remains concerned about human rights violations in Saudi Arabia; welcomes the recent release of dozens of political prisoners, including University of Leeds PhD student Salma al-Shehab, human rights defender Mohammed al-Qahtani, and doctor Lina Alsharif; notes, however, that released individuals face continued restrictions, including travel bans; further notes that others remain arbitrarily imprisoned for peaceful dissent, such as Manahel al-Otaibi; is alarmed by the record number of death penalty executions, with 345 in 2024 and over 140 in 2025 so far, with a number of persons who committed their alleged crimes as minors facing execution; is concerned about labour exploitation and potential deaths of workers in connection with the 2034 FIFA World Cup and other mega-projects in the absence of fundamental labour rights reform; calls on the UK Government to urge Saudi Arabia to release all those imprisoned for defending or exercising their rights and to establish a moratorium on use of the death penalty; and further calls on the Government to actively raise such rights issues and cases of concern, including in connection with on-going discussions with Gulf Cooperation Council states on a Free Trade Agreement”. [Source House of Commons accessed 2 January]

There were 15 signatures, none of which were Conservative.

One execution is noteworthy and that is of Turki al-Jasser in June. He was a journalist who worked for the Al Taqreer newspaper which the regime closed down. He wrote articles exposing the corruption within the Royal Family. He was arrested and his home searched. Much of what happened to him was surrounded in secrecy. His family did not know of his execution until after the event.

We seem to have moved to a situation where a high level of gross human rights violations are the norm and the desire for trade effectively trumps any meaningful political concern. Sport is being successfully being used to sanitise the regime’s reputation and millions are happy to spectate with little concern for what takes place behind the scenes.

Sources: HRW, MSN, Guardian, Council on Foreign Relations, Amnesty.

Previous posts:

• Surge in executions in Saudi
• Death penalty in Florida
• Last vigil of 2025
• Review of 2025
• Group carol singing

#DeathPenalty #keffala #MBS #SaudiArabia #SportsWashing

Emirates NBA Cup.

My decision to stop following all organized sports at every level becomes wiser and more prescient the more time passes.

This is the latest example of which I've become aware of the obscenities inherent in competitive sports.

#NBA #NBACup #Emirates #EmiratesNBACup #basketball #sports #SportsWashing #IdolWorship

FIFA’s newly created “Peace Prize” was invented behind closed doors with no transparent criteria, then handed to Donald Trump — a highly polarising political leader — at the World Cup draw. The choice has sparked ethics complaints accusing FIFA’s president of breaching neutrality and turning football into a vehicle for political PR. This isn’t peacebuilding, it’s sportswashing and undermines FIFA’s credibility.

#fifa #sportswashing

https://www.newsweek.com/fifas-sportswashing-peace-prize-opinion-11188232

https://www.newsweek.com/fifas-sportswashing-peace-prize-opinion-11188232

[BBC]: Cristiano Ronaldo attends White House dinner alongside Saudi crown prince. By Dearbail Jordan

https://bbc.com/news/articles/c993e74pxd7o

#sportswashing #mbs #ronaldo

Next season we must see protests against the UAE cycling team.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/03/blood-spilled-sudan-el-fasher-space-rsf-uae-darfur

#SportsWashing #CouchPeloton

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hT5JoFfQ0RE&pp=0gcJCfwJAYcqIYzv

WHAT...THE...FUCK!!!!!

#RickStrom

#Nazi Loving #MMA fighter Shows Everthi g That's Wrong With the #UFC

#FCKNZS #Sportswashing #DUIHire #WhiteNationalist #Islamophobia #Antisemitism #AJCunningham #DanaWhite

#PSG, #Arsenal, #Atletico de Madrid: vous l’avez probablement remarqué, ce projet de #sportswashing est aussi passé par le sport roi et les partenariats signés avec le gratin du football européen qui arbore désormais fièrement le logo “Visit #Rwanda”.

✒️ Orso G.

https://dialectik-football.info/quand-le-sport-se-met-au-service-du-pouvoir-rwandais-cyclisme-basket-football/

In case you're wondering whether the article says anything about what the US (or indeed, FIFA) could actually do if UEFA bans Israel (since its World Cup qualification goes through the European group), it's not explained how they could.

However, the article includes the following confession:

❞
In September, an [Israel Football Association (IFA)] spokesperson said he was surprised Israel had yet to be suspended from international football.

“I’m surprised we’re still part of international tournaments. In many aspects, this is a miracle,” Shlomi Barzel, head of the IFA’s public relations department, told Israeli newspaper The Globes. “The miracle can be explained by action on our part and a lot of tolerance on the part of FIFA and UEFA, but historically countries have been suspended for much less than that.”
❝

UPDATE: correct link

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6658687/2025/09/25/israel-fifa-ban-trump-uefa/

#sportswashing

#Radsport (wie auch jede andere Sportart) hat auch politische Dimensionen. Und auch wenn das #Radsportfan|s wohl nicht wollen, die Politisierung nimmt immer mehr zu (#Sportswashing, #Vuelta Krawalle, zweifelhafte Sponsoren). Finde ich nicht gut!

https://www.tour-magazin.de/profi-radsport/aktuelles/rad-wm-in-ruanda-schwierige-premiere/

(191/...)
- Rwanda #golf + Ligue africaine de #basketball + #football Arsenal/PSG/Bayern Munich #finance sponsoring #VisitRwanda #tourisme (cf 2018 2019 2023) -> conflit armé M23 Congo RDC #sportswashing (cf #cuju) contrôle mine Rubaya 30 % #coltan mondial.

#year2025 #anthropocene #climat #climate #climatechange #climatecrisis

Este año, el maillot rojo de Lavuelta mancha.

#LaVuelta #IsraelPremierTech #Sportswashing #Ciclismo #BoicotDeportivo #Palestine #FreePalestine #LaVuelta2024 #CyclingBoycott

#AlinaSchwermer & @tesselmiddag.bsky.social über ihren Kampf mit @fossilfreefootball.bsky.social gegen das #Sportswashing #Greenwashing #FIFA Integrität ist wirklich selten 🙏 Mit der Aufmerksamkeit wächst das Geld & die Gefahr! "Ich fühle mich benutzt, ein #Regime oder ein Produkt reinzuwaschen.."

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zorx72vm56gtgv4hzl66q4zm/post/3lt7jfxxrul2e

ÄH!

#GlennKamara jatkaa uraansa Saudi-Arabiassa.

#Urheilupesu ei tuota siis eettisesti liki* poikkeuksellisten huuhkajienkaan riveissä ongelmaa. Valitettavasti.

*Viitekehyksenä, niin, se urheilu.

EDIT: Lisätty linkki, jonka näemmä olin unohtanut, heh.

https://yle.fi/a/74-20140672

#Kamara #SaudiArabia #futis #fudis #jalkapallo #SuomiFutis #urheilu #sportswashing

ÄH!

#GlennKamara jatkaa uraansa Saudi-Arabiassa.

#Urheilupesu ei tuota siis eettisesti liki* poikkeuksellisten huuhkajienkaan riveissä ongelmaa. Valitettavasti.

*Viitekehyksenä, niin, se urheilu.

EDIT: Lisätty linkki, jonka näemmä olin unohtanut, heh.

https://yle.fi/a/74-20140672

#Kamara #SaudiArabia #futis #fudis #jalkapallo #SuomiFutis #urheilu #sportswashing

ÄH!

#GlennKamara jatkaa uraansa Saudi-Arabiassa.

#Urheilupesu ei tuota siis eettisesti liki* poikkeuksellisten huuhkajienkaan riveissä ongelmaa. Valitettavasti.

*Viitekehyksenä, niin, se urheilu.

EDIT: Lisätty linkki, jonka näemmä olin unohtanut, heh.

https://yle.fi/a/74-20140672

#Kamara #SaudiArabia #futis #fudis #jalkapallo #SuomiFutis #urheilu #sportswashing

ÄH!

#GlennKamara jatkaa uraansa Saudi-Arabiassa.

#Urheilupesu ei tuota siis eettisesti liki* poikkeuksellisten huuhkajienkaan riveissä ongelmaa. Valitettavasti.

*Viitekehyksenä, niin, se urheilu.

EDIT: Lisätty linkki, jonka näemmä olin unohtanut, heh.

https://yle.fi/a/74-20140672

#Kamara #SaudiArabia #futis #fudis #jalkapallo #SuomiFutis #urheilu #sportswashing

ÄH!

#GlennKamara jatkaa uraansa Saudi-Arabiassa.

#Urheilupesu ei tuota siis eettisesti liki* poikkeuksellisten huuhkajienkaan riveissä ongelmaa. Valitettavasti.

*Viitekehyksenä, niin, se urheilu.

EDIT: Lisätty linkki, jonka näemmä olin unohtanut, heh.

https://yle.fi/a/74-20140672

#Kamara #SaudiArabia #futis #fudis #jalkapallo #SuomiFutis #urheilu #sportswashing

I wonder how closely the UCI are monitoring the situation in #DRC with #Rwanda? Looks like things are going to get messy(er) which could make any #SportsWashing in relation to #Kigali2025 even harder to ignore. #proCycling

'On 6 October last year, without warning, Fifa opened the bidding process, giving potential hosts 25 days to submit their bids. Putting together a bid takes months: at the most basic level, stadiums have to be selected, logistics considered, construction funded, planning permission secured. That does not take 25 days. Happily, Saudi Arabia had their bid document ready to go. ...'
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2024/dec/07/fifa-infantino-saudi-arabia-world-cup-2034

#Soccer #Futbol #Football #SportsWashing #SaudiArabia #Infantino #DAZN #WorldCup2034 #FIFA

Saudi Arabia is spending more than a billion dollars to sponsor global sporting events as it looks to burnish its reputation and assert itself as a global superpower. A new report by think tank New Weather Institute revealed that oil giant Aramco, a Saudi state-controlled company and one of the world's most profitable firms, is pouring around $1.3 billion into the global sports industry, leveraging a playbook widely employed by Big Tobacco before it was banned from doing so. https://www.politico.eu/article/saudi-arabias-oil-giant-spends-over-a-billion-on-sportswashing-new-report-says/ #SaudiArabia #Sports #Sportswashing #SaudiAramco

What’s the score sport ?

On 5 May 2024, #Clapton Community #Football Club (#CCFC) organised a #solidarity fundraiser tournament with grassroots coalition #FootballforPalestine.

https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/05/15/the-mohammed-barakat-cup-solidarity-through-football/

See also Football In Palestine: Fixing What Politics Has Destroyed by Asif Khapedi

Why #Celtic Football Club Supports Palestine by Salem Barahmeh from Uncivilised Media.

https://linktr.ee/thegazasunbirds

#MohammedBarakat #KhanYounis #Palestine #solidarity #FIFA #UEFA #Sportswashing #BDS #GazaSunbirds

Wir unterstützen die Forderung des Berichtes: Das Sponsoring verschmutzender - insbesonderer fossiler - Firmen muss aufhören!

Dieser und weitere Berichte können auf https://www.badverts.org/ nachgelesen werden.

#sportswashing #Greenwashing #banfossilsponsorships #BanFossilAds #fisalpine #audifisskiworldcup

Saudi Government Uses European Football to Sportswash its Reputation (Human Rights Watch)

Forget Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist brutally murdered in a Saudi consulate, and all his colleagues jailed, censored or harassed.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the Super Cup, Inter Milan, Real Madrid!

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/17/saudi-government-uses-european-football-sportswash-its-reputation

#human_rights #football #uefa #fifa #khashoggi #lgtb_rights #yemen #saudi_arabia #super_cup #inter_milan #real_madrid #ronaldo #neymar #sportswashing #torture #death_penalty

#LGBTQ+ #football #fans #speakout as #SaudiArabia set to #host #WorldCup in 2034.

The #nation has been accused of #sportswashing in recent times, using #football to #distract from its #humanrights #issues.

#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #MiddleEast #Entertainment #Sports #Soccer #Hate #Bigotry #Violence #Genocide #Discrimination #Homophobia #Transphobia

https://gcn.ie/lgbtq-fans-speak-out-saudi-arabia-host-world-cup/

#Gay #former #PremierLeague #footballer #ThomasHitzlsperger tells #JordanHenderson his ‘#brand is #dead’ after #SaudiArabian move.

Many #players have decided to head out to the #MiddleEast given the huge #transfer #fees and #wages #teams are willing to pay – but some have accused #SaudiArabia of #sportswashing given their #abysmal #humanrights #record

https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/28/jordan-henderson-told-his-brand-is-dead-by-gay-former-footballer-19206942/

#Saudi #football ‘#sportswashing’ and using multi-million-pound #deals to #distract from #humanrights #issues.

#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Entertainment #Sports #PinkWashing #Soccer #Hate #Bigotry #Violence #Genocide #Homophobia #Transphobia

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/07/28/saudi-arabia-lgbtq-jordan-henderson-allyship/

Reprehensible Billionaire Buyout!

PGA sells out to the Saudis, avoids discovery associated with LIV litigation. Didn’t #Musk and #Murdock do this to avoid depositions too?

“On Tuesday, the #PGA Tour announced that it would merge with #LIV. Why would the PGA Tour merge with LIV, a tour that has struggled mightily to attract fans and sponsors? Money. “

#twitter #fox #foxnews #billionaires #golf #sportswashing #PIF #nickanderson
https://popular.info/p/the-saudis-buy-professional-golf

First nation Gomeroi people oppose Santos' Narrabri Gas project which will drill 850 wells through the Great Artesian Basin risking contamination of groundwater source for much of the Murray Darling Basin.

Meanwhile Santos is lead sponsor of South Australian Events and Union Cycliste International (UCI) Tour Down Under Cycling event in an incedible example of #Sportswashing

#GreatArtesianBasin #Santos #TourDownUnder #Gomeroi #FossilGas #ClimateCrisis #Groundwater

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/gomeroi-people-protest-santos-narrabri-gas-project-pilliga/101859328

First nation Gomeroi people oppose Santos' Narrabri Gas project which will drill 850 wells through the Great Artesian Basin risking contamination of groundwater source for much of the Murray Darling Basin.

Meanwhile Santos is lead sponsor of South Australian Events and Union Cycliste International (UCI) Tour Down Under Cycling event in an incedible example of #Sportswashing

#GreatArtesianBasin #Santos #TourDownUnder #Gomeroi #FossilGas #ClimateCrisis #Groundwater

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/gomeroi-people-protest-santos-narrabri-gas-project-pilliga/101859328

First nation Gomeroi people oppose Santos' Narrabri Gas project which will drill 850 wells through the Great Artesian Basin risking contamination of groundwater source for much of the Murray Darling Basin.

Meanwhile Santos is lead sponsor of South Australian Events and Union Cycliste International (UCI) Tour Down Under Cycling event in an incedible example of #Sportswashing

#GreatArtesianBasin #Santos #TourDownUnder #Gomeroi #FossilGas #ClimateCrisis #Groundwater

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/gomeroi-people-protest-santos-narrabri-gas-project-pilliga/101859328

First nation Gomeroi people oppose Santos' Narrabri Gas project which will drill 850 wells through the Great Artesian Basin risking contamination of groundwater source for much of the Murray Darling Basin.

Meanwhile Santos is lead sponsor of South Australian Events and Union Cycliste International (UCI) Tour Down Under Cycling event in an incedible example of #Sportswashing

#GreatArtesianBasin #Santos #TourDownUnder #Gomeroi #FossilGas #ClimateCrisis #Groundwater

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/gomeroi-people-protest-santos-narrabri-gas-project-pilliga/101859328

First nation Gomeroi people oppose Santos' Narrabri Gas project which will drill 850 wells through the Great Artesian Basin risking contamination of groundwater source for much of the Murray Darling Basin.

Meanwhile Santos is lead sponsor of South Australian Events and Union Cycliste International (UCI) Tour Down Under Cycling event in an incedible example of #Sportswashing

#GreatArtesianBasin #Santos #TourDownUnder #Gomeroi #FossilGas #ClimateCrisis #Groundwater

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/gomeroi-people-protest-santos-narrabri-gas-project-pilliga/101859328

@aljazeera This is authoritarian!
Where does the FIA get the authority to dictate what drivers may say?
Any conscientious "Personal Agenda" is far less worrisome than their authoritarian agenda.
After already trying to hijack the PGA globally, this is CLEARLY #Saudi money now setting their #SportsWashing #PublicImage agenda for the #FIA.
The world of #Formula1 is not the Saudis' backyard.

Die #WM2022 ist der Moment, an dem die Jahrzehnte alte Hegemonie des fossilen Geldes durch #Sportswashing endgültig bricht.

Selbst 300 Mrd Dollar katarische Investitionen schaffen kejn ausreichendes Deckmäntelchen mehr, um die Hässlichkeit der dahinter liegenden Allianz aus Big Oil, Patriarchat, Politik, Fussball, Fernsehen, Korruption, Baubranche, Finanzkapitalismus und Sklavenhandel zu überdecken.

Eure Zeit ist vorbei, endgültig

#KatarWM #Sportswashing #EndFossil #JuststopOil #FIFABoykott

How crap. #FIFAMafia #onelove #boycottworldcup #sportswashing

‘Very frustrated’: England and Wales back down over OneLove armband

England, Wales and five other European nations have confirmed they will not wear the OneLove armband at the World Cup after a warning from Fifa

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/21/bullingham-admits-england-may-step-back-from-onelove-armband?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other