SPORTSWASHING: En kvalitativ innehållsanalys av begreppet sportswashing i brittisk media – en mjukmaktskapande aktion omgärdad av postkoloniala värderingar

Abstract

In the last few years the term ’sportswashing’ has been made popular by human rights organisations and sportsmedia in relation to the involvement in sports by states and individuals aiming to extract soft power and, or, laundry it’s reputation and strengthen it’s image. States, corperations and private individuals participations in sports through hosting, or owning, competitions or clubs, is today something that can be seen as highly political. This study exams the term sportswashing through the british media outlets The Guardian and The Independent by doing a qualitative content analysis. The study further exams how sportswashing is described and whether the term is associated with postcolonial values through the theorization of orientalism and eurocentrism and a working defintion of soft power. The results show that both orientalist and eurocentric values are showing in the articles, while not being the overwhelming theme. Sportswashing is thematically talked about in the context of culture and sports performance, human rights and soft power with the main actors accused of sportswashing being Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates and Qatar.