A need for purpose based events

FIFA World Cup and Olympics are one of the most prestigious and most viewed event which is hosted every four years. An event where top athletes perform at the highest level for highest honour. Lately, the hosting rights have been in controversy with regards to corruption and bribery charges especially with FIFA World Cup.

A lot of talk is about sports and politics being separated but my question is, can sports and politics be separated? Western Media has been proactive in its barrage of criticism, some of which are fair but some wreak of hypocrisy and idealism specially on fans and Qatar’s right to host a World Cup(in a Geographic and legacy sense). The discussion on Human rights should continue and the parameter for protection of human rights should be really high but does the parameter apply everywhere? Why weren’t the same discussions during the last world cup in Russia? Why cannot this discussion be consistent and not selective?

However, according to Nadim Rai, a Syrian-German expert in Middle Eastern football and fan culture, speaking at a recent discussion event staged by the German Sports and Olympic Museum in Cologne, it depends on the arguments used. "When people in Europe say the problem is that the World Cup is in winter or that they'll have to watch the games at the Christmas markets, that's not a valid argument,"?he told DW.

From the bidding for these Mega events to hosting it, the government of that particular country is definitely involved if not directly, indirectly. While the bidding process is very detailed and there is a detailed audit of financials and infrastructure for the ability to host the games, should there be an audit of the values the country stands for? And does it align with the value and purpose of hosting that particular mega event?

While over the years, legacy of the games has been a critical aspect but what about the present situation in a country? Should the audit be also of the laws and situation in the country? Should the country be stripped of hosting of event if it violates any of the statutes event organisers believe in?

For example, USA is going to host the FIFA World Cup along with Canada and Mexico but some of the states in the USA prohibit abortion across all stages of pregnancy. With mass shootings almost every day killing innocent people including a recent deadly mass shooting at a Colorado LGBTQ club, Should there be a discussion on that? Washington Post posted that ‘There have been more than 600 mass shootings so far this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive’. ?Of course, USA cannot be compared with Qatar (no country should) but some of the federal laws are still restrictive. USA has come a long way over the years and I hope with the campaigns and hosting the World Cup, Qatar would too in future but the discussion should not stop and not restricted during the events.

The people of the Middle East shouldn’t be punished by having the World Cup tournament withdrawn for the failures of their governments. The Qatari government should face penalties for allowing the abuse of migrant workers, as should the Qatari officials who facilitate it. But so should the others who are complicit: the construction companies, many of which are Western, or other international businesses that profit from cheap labor, and FIFA itself, which included zero human rights clauses when awarding Qatar the World Cup and whose lack of regulation paved the way for the abuses we’re witnessing

Though a lot of work has been happening in football for good space (Generation Amazing) in Qatar where discussions have been on citizenship, non-discrimination etc, ?Is there a research on positive impact of hosting World Cup in Qatar? For example, change in behaviour, laws etc, I would be really interested if there are any studies on that. What kind of positive legacy (if any) has been created in Qatar due to the hosting of FIFA World Cup.

FIFA’s recent declaration of not allowing teams like England, Wales, Germany, Belgium etc to not wear ‘One Love’ captain armband which was in solidarity with LGBTQ+ Community for me was not fair. Laws in Qatar criminalizes homosexuality but events like World Cup or Olympics should be a platform for discussion on social topics if not politics.

A World Cup or an Olympics or any mega event in any country should be non-discriminatory regardless of age, sex, religion, sexual identity, etc. Be it Russia or Qatar, It should be a celebration and inclusive.?