Sports can be great unifiers and forces for good, overcoming social barriers and political divides, as illustrated by Game Changer: United by Sports, presented by Gary Weber, a special exhibit currently at the George W. Bush Presidential Museum. There are great examples of these moments throughout American history. In what became known as the “Miracle on Ice” hockey game, Team USA beat the Soviets during the 1980 Winter Olympics. The nation, just a few weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, rallied when President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium during Game Three of the 2001 World Series. And the 1936 Summer Olympics, when Jesse Owens defied Nazi Germany’s racist worldview to win four gold medals in track and field, demonstrated the power of sport to challenge fascism and bigotry. In these moments, people were united regardless of political, social, or team affiliation, in support of human rights and democracy.
But autocrats often pervert this sentiment.
While sports are generally seen as having a positive impact on society through community building or entertainment, there can be a flip side.
Autocrats in places like China increasingly take advantage of the excitement and unity that sports can generate to distract from and conceal egregious human rights abuses. This is often referred to as “sportswashing” – a form of propaganda commonly used by authoritarian regimes. These regimes accomplish this by using sports teams or events to promote a positive image of their governments domestically and to international observers.
We tend to forget the bad things about a country when its sports team is exciting to watch. When national teams do well, it can effectively silence any significant political or social criticism, both domestically and internationally.
Sportswashing benefits authoritarians and also harms democratic institutions by eroding the trust society has placed in them. This is often accomplished through media outlets to push out propaganda narratives counteracting any criticism of the regime and highlighting pro-regime views. Democratic nations can combat sportswashing by advocating for and supporting human rights in international sports competitions.
Autocracies can fuel uncertainty about the truthfulness of democratic media and governments when they host and compete in major sporting events. They can use the spectacle to distract or sow doubt in Western audiences about the nature of these regimes as “human rights abusers.”
Instances of this during the 2022 Beijing Olympics include the Chinese foreign ministry releasing statements claiming that the United States government paid athletes to sabotage the Games and creating thousands of false social media accounts to promote state media propaganda about the Olympics. Another prominent example is the charm offensive conducted by North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong – Kim Jong Un’s sister – during the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
In this way, autocrats can associate themselves with positive values such as “cooperation” and “work ethic” – while also minimizing focus on human rights violations.
Autocratic regimes like China engage in sportswashing to distract from human rights abuses and improve their domestic and international reputation. The selection of Beijing to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, for example, initially faced massive backlash from the global community. Activists cited the ongoing Uyghur genocide and sweeping crackdowns on democratic protests in Hong Kong, among other human rights concerns, as major reasons to revoke China’s ability to host the world’s premier sporting competition.
Freedom House described the Beijing Games as a display of authoritarian control and propaganda, aimed primarily at an international audience. China used the Olympics as a vehicle to deflect attention away from human rights violations against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.
One way the regime accomplished this was how they staged and broadcasted the Games. Athlete criticism on social media was censored while pro-Beijing influencers were promoted, and propaganda videos praising the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) autoplayed after watching Olympics coverage on YouTube. Beijing co-opted the Olympics to push the message that its governance system was thriving and successful.
The Olympic slogan was “Together for a Shared Future,” promoting a united front in the face of growing unrest and protests by dissidents in Hong Kong, Tibet, and other regions. Additionally, the use of Uyghur skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang to light the Olympic Cauldron during the opening ceremony served to draw attention away from China’s brutal actions in Xinjiang – the Uyghurs’ home region. In January 2021, the Trump Administration declared China’s actions genocide.
Once the Games began, outrage over China’s actions died down as public attention shifted from human rights to the excitement of the competition.
The United States and its international partners can combat the effects of sportswashing by raising awareness of what sportswashing is and its impact. Democratic governments can work together to reframe the narrative that authoritarian governments have created through their own media campaigns.
Promoting and supporting activism by protecting athletes who speak out could help change the narrative, such as U.S. figure skater Timothy DeLuc, who spoke out against China’s human rights record prior to the Games and faced censorship. DeLuc was one of several athletes who made remarks on China’s human rights record during media interviews, stating that what was happening to the Uyghurs was “horrifying.” Providing critical reporting on events happening in authoritarian countries like China could also counter the narrative-shaping efforts of sportswashers.
The United States and its international partners should continue to perform their due diligence and support transparency when participating in or hosting sporting competitions to minimize opportunities for corruption and concealment of human rights abuses. Pushing governing bodies to uphold international human rights standards by not awarding these countries with major events and boycotting games hosted by these regimes could also be a powerful tool to combat sportswashing.
The United States should also hold governing bodies and sponsors accountable for their roles in sportswashing by promoting adherence to international human rights standards and educating and training stakeholders on the importance of ethical compliance to combat sportswashing – and pushing our allies to do the same.
Those moments in 1936, 1980, and 2001 exemplified the true power of sport to unite people. As authoritarians continue to use sports to conceal their crimes against humanity, it is important for democracies to use sports instead to advocate for transparency and reinforce human rights.
