Sportswashing – the act of aligning with an athlete, sports team, or event in order to distract from unethical practices elsewhere – is driven by authoritarian states and is just about everywhere.
In June, Russia held the BRICS games, an event involving 82 countries competing across 27 sports.
Last week, the McLaren Formula 1 team, owned by Bahrain-backed McLaren Racing, competed at the Qatar Airways British Grand Prix.
