Political figures have long used major sporting events for their own purposes.

Big sport as an instrument of big politics

Political figures have long used major sporting events for their own ends.

Major sports tournaments are traditionally used by the authorities of many countries for political purposes. Historians call the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin one of the most striking such examples. The National Socialists took advantage of the event to divert the attention of the world community from the grim realities of Germany at the time, says Wenzel Michalski, head of the German branch of Human Rights Watch.

To suggest that everything is not so bad

Olympic Stadium in Berlin, 1936

For authoritarian rulers, the Olympics, Formula 1 racing or the World Cup are a chance to improve their image, Michalski said. Competitions of such a high level perform a propaganda task: the authorities inspire the world and their own people that everything in the country is by no means as bad as they say, and that a bright life allegedly boils with it.

The people are given games so that they don't think about an uprising, says human rights activist Wenzel Mihajski. In turn, historian Ansgar Molzberger recalls the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988, the football world championship in Argentina in 1978 and the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, which were preceded by protests, including youth, as well as their bloody suppression by the authorities .

Sports and big politics

However, the opposite effect is also observed – when international sports competitions are used to put pressure on the authorities of the countries in which they take place. The largest of these actions, according to sports historian Dietmar Bleking, were associated with the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Then there was a confrontation between the two superpowers and the decision on a complete boycott was made at the very top, Bleking explained on the air of the Swiss radio station DRS.

Context

Süddeutsche Zeitung: UEFA hides its head like a snail in its house

European Parliament rejects collective boycott of Euro 2012 in Ukraine

The European Parliament has abandoned the idea of ​​a collective boycott of the matches of the European Football Championship, which will be held in Ukraine. At the same time, the deputies called on the authorities in Kyiv to release political prisoners. (24.05.2012)

Euro 2012 in Ukraine: to be or not to boycott?

In Germany, in connection with the scandal over the conditions of detention of the former Prime Minister of Ukraine Tymoshenko in custody, disputes continue about whether the German national team should boycott the European football championship. (14.05.2012)

He also recalled less high-profile boycotts – for example, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland refused to participate in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne in protest against the suppression of the uprising in Hungary by Soviet troops (and Cambodia, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon – because of the Suez crisis. – Ed.).And in 1961, under pressure from political circles, the German national team did not go to the World Hockey Championship match against the GDR team, so that its players would not be present at the performance of the GDR anthem, Bleking said.

Human rights and sport

Recently, Germany prefers to use for political pressure not a complete boycott of sports competitions, but demarches of politicians. Thus, many prominent German politicians pointedly ignore the matches of the European Football Championship taking place in Ukraine, hoping to draw as much attention as possible to the fate of the former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who, according to official Berlin, is being persecuted for political reasons.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, on the day of the match between Germany and the Netherlands at Euro 2012, urged German fans not to forget the fate of the Ukrainian ex-premier and to demonstrate to the authorities in Kyiv that Germany expects a fair trial and appropriate medical care for Mrs. Timoshenko.

For non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and critical foreign politicians, large-scale sports competitions can be a good opportunity to draw attention to human rights violations in a country, if these rights are not respected or if almost no one reports about these violations, notes Wenzel Michalsky. from Human Rights Watch. Major sporting events are almost always in the media spotlight, so it's natural and understandable for various pressure groups to use the public's interest in sports to achieve their own goals, agrees sports historian Dietmar Bleking. In his opinion, this also applies to supporters of Yulia Tymoshenko.

Human rights and economics

Until recently, sports leaders in Germany argued that sport should remain out of politics. German participants in the Beijing Olympics were not encouraged to make any political statements, but on the eve of Euro 2012 in Germany, there was a desire to take a more active political position, Bleking said in an interview with DRS.

German athletes at the opening of the Beijing Olympics

The sports historian recalled the words of the head of the German Football Union of Germany, Wolfgang Niersbach, who said that the German footballers have the right to express their personal opinion about the events in Ukraine and that he himself is glad that he will not have to shake hands with President Viktor Yanukovych.

Be that as it may, it is impossible to completely separate modern sport from politics because of its too close ties with the economic and political sphere. These three areas often represent the same people, Bleking said. It is for this reason that it will not be possible to hold major sports tournaments only in those countries in which the situation is considered prosperous by human rights organizations. The 2014 Winter Olympics was given to Sochi, not least because of economic interests.Many sponsors were also interested in Ukraine, ”summed up the sports historian Ditmar Blacking.

• the date 16.06.2012
• Author Christina Ruta, Vitaly Volkov
• ThemesMichael Schumacher, UEFA Champions League, European League UEFA, Fan Zone, Ultras, Grand Prix, Rosberg, Nico, Vettel, Sebastian, Messi, Lionel, Winter Olympic Games in Sochi-2014
• KeywordsEuropean Championship, Tymoshenko, Yanukovych, Sochi-2014, football, Formula-1
• TypePrint this page
• Constant link https://p.dw.com/p/15fjf

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