Sports and Autocrats

In this episode of the "Berlin Security Beat", Katharina Emschermann interviews Christian Gläßel, postdoctoral researcher at the Hertie School's Centre for International Security, and Adam Scharpf, incoming assistant professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, on “sportswashing”, i.e. the instrumentalization of sports, in light of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

They talk about the scrutiny-publicity dilemma autocrats face when hosting international sports events, how the Argentine military junta disappeared and killed opponents before the 1978 World Cup, what the events of ‘78 tell us about today, and the implications for politicians, functionaries and sponsors.

Listen to the episode: 

Bibliography

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