Updated on 10/31/2022 at 3:07 PM
- The 2022 World Cup is not the first sporting event that Qatar has brought to the country.
- In the past, unions have not always indulged themselves in glory when dealing with the controversial operation of the desert state.
- But: Vision has improved, says sports policy expert Jürgen Mittag in an interview with our editors.
Lewis Hamilton was quite alone. The Formula 1 record world champion did not budge. He put his finger in the wound. “When sport goes to these places, there is a duty to raise awareness of the issues,” Hamilton said last year. “These places need to be examined closely. Equivalence is a serious issue.”
“this place” – it means
Headlining to promote change in Qatar?
“I believe that the spotlight we bring with us will be beneficial to the desire and desire to change that these countries are already showing,” said Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali: “I don’t It seems that boycotting the countries and saying we don’t want to stay there will help in improving the situation.” It goes without saying that the head of the World Football Federation (fifa) was allowed to smile for the cameras and advertise his own flagship event, the 2022 World Championships, over race weekend in November 2021.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has repeatedly emphasized how important his tournament is to development in Qatar. “Qatar has become an important center of the world. Not only because of the World Cup, but the World Cup certainly helped put Qatar in the spotlight on the international stage. And a lot has changed,” he added for Health 2022 Said at the World Innovation Summit. Doha
The fact is: the 2022 World Cup and Formula 1 are not alone. The Athletics World Championships took place in Qatar in 2019, the Handball World Championships in 2015, and the Club World Championships in 2019 and 2020. To name a few examples. Basically, only the Olympic Games are missing. “Basically every imaginable sporting event has taken place in Qatar in the last 30 years,” says Jürgen Mittag of the Institute for European Sport Development and Leisure Research in German Sport. Qatar wants to initiate structural change, positioning itself strategically and politically. wants to do.” University of Cologne in conversation with our editors.
Sports and politics cannot be separated
Different associations have positioned themselves very differently in the past. Often attempts have been made to separate sports and politics, although the two fields have long been closely related in many aspects. And often enough, there is still a lot of politics to do with sports. “Definitely someone has felt it, but he is trying to maintain the image,” says Mittag.
The strategy is actually a cautious strategy: in the past, unions have tried to be as little involved in political issues as possible, basically only where it was inevitable. And then in a form in which one did not want to disregard the organizer, but at the same time did not want to appear completely ignorant of human rights. The then DHB Vice President Bob Hanning explained before the Handball World CupT, will hold back a host with statement. “It does not mean that we are politically indifferent, but our main business is sports. We have elected a government to do politics,” he said.
Sure: ineligible German handball players were only allowed to participate because of a wild card issued by the World Federation – the host’s criticism then seems ungrateful. The hosts, full of Legionnaires, were also a spectacle. Second place was the best proof that sporting success can be bought. It all seemed downright strange amid discussions about human rights violations and deaths at construction sites in the desert state.
Too World Championships in Athletics Provided problematic images that underscore the inappropriateness of a marathon or 50-kilometer walk in 30 degrees and more than 70 percent humidity. The president of the World Athletics Federation was satisfied with the event in Doha despite heavy criticism. “I don’t remember a World Cup that was at this stage,” Sebastian Coe said. Athletes would not share this criticism, “They are very happy to be here,” said the former world-class sprinter.
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unions have learned
A different discussion looks different. But improvement is visible. “The closer you get to the present, the more sensitive the organizers are,” says Mittag. Sports policy experts confirm that sports federations have learned a lot from the mistakes of the past. “FIFA has learned that recklessly awarding has entered difficult waters,” says Mittag, who believes that future prize-giving policy will be different, “that these problems should not be tackled as as they wish now”. The 2026 tournament is scheduled to take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The host for 2030 has not yet been determined.
In addition, human rights issues are now being worked on specifically. Mittag confirmed, “The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has presented human rights strategies that express a clear position. The subject has come on the agenda of international sports federations and is being dealt with accordingly.”
Sport is not a panacea, but a good solution
There is no doubt that sport cannot be a panacea when it comes to complex problems and controversial discussions, it cannot solve problems on the spot, but it must seize the opportunity by using its power and attention and They should be addressed. “Because sport can make a significant contribution to raising awareness and changing structures,” Mittag says. It is important, then, that people like Lewis Hamilton are no longer alone in the future.
About Expert: Professor Dr. Jürgen Mittag from the Institute for European Sport Development and Leisure Research at the German Sport University in Cologne. He holds the Jean Monnet Professorship.
Sources used:
faz.net: DHB vice president Henning: World Cup semi-finals would be a dream
At a congress on human rights, DFB president Bernd Neuendorff criticized World Cup host Qatar and held FIFA accountable. Qatar has improved some things to improve human rights, but there are still problems with implementation. The 61-year-old was even more clear in the direction of the World Football Federation. FIFA must take its principles seriously and live by them.
