The relationship between the leaders of nation-states and the gatekeepers of sporting mega-events is both powerful and complex. Organisations, such as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), have revenues in the billions of dollars and are supranational. They have a disproportionate and troubling degree of political power.
Much has been written about the environmental and human rights disaster of the men’s football World Cup in Qatar as finally being a step too far in terms of host selection. However, evidence suggests that this was an almost inevitable outcome of systemic problems within FIFA.
To talk us through this, it’s a pleasure to be joined by Jules Boykoff, Professor of political science at Pacific University in Oregon, USA. He is the author of five books on the politics of sports mega-events, most recently, ‘The 1936 Berlin Olympics: Race, Power, and Sportswashing’. He is also a former professional footballer, having represented the US Under-23 Men’s National Team so he has seen how these events work from all angles.
You can also see the recording of our interview at https://youtu.be/yjskkjE8JjA with some additional visual information.
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