Saudi Arabia, China, and Qatar are accused of using sports to cover up human rights abuse

What do China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have in common? All three countries are accused of human rights violations, and all three are also playing host to some of the largest and most lucrative sporting events in the world.

Human rights organizations and others have been voicing concerns that behind this seemingly innocuous trend is a concerted effort by these and other nations to use sports as a way to cover up their poor human rights records. The human rights group even uses a recent term to describe this practice: “sportswashing.”