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Qatar’s World Cup denounced for ‘washing’ country’s image

FILE - Competitors race in a women's 4x100 meter relay semifinal at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. The World Cup is just one way Qatar is using its massive wealth to project influence. By buying sports teams, hosting high-profile events, and investing billions in European capitals — such as buying London’s The Shard skyscraper — Qatar has been integrating itself into international finance and a network of support. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, File) FILE - Competitors are introduced to the crowd before the women's 4x100 meter relay final at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. The World Cup is just one way Qatar is using its massive wealth to project influence. By buying sports teams, hosting high-profile events, and investing billions in European capitals — such as buying London’s The Shard skyscraper — Qatar has been integrating itself into international finance and a network of support. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, File) FILE - People attend the 2022 soccer World Cup draw at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar, Friday, April 1, 2022. Many think Qatar is hosting the event to project its influence, build international connections and move past a human-rights record criticized by international groups and workers’ advocates. Critics describe the 2022 World Cup, which starts Sunday, as a classic case of “sportswashing” — using sports to change a country or company's image. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed, File) FILE - Spectators follow the 2022 soccer World Cup draw at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar, Friday, April 1, 2022. Many think Qatar is hosting the event to project its influence, build international connections and move past a human-rights record criticized by international groups and workers’ advocates. Critics describe the 2022 World Cup, which starts Sunday, as a classic case of “sportswashing” — using sports to change a country or company's image. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed, File) Families and survivors of the 9/11 terror attacks attend a news conference near the site of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, NJ., Friday, July 29, 2022. Like the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league, critics describe the 2022 World Cup, which starts Sunday, as a classic case of “sportswashing” — using sports to change a country or company's image. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) FILE - The Shard stands at sunset, in London, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. The World Cup is just one way Qatar is using its massive wealth to project influence. By buying sports teams, hosting high-profile events, and investing billions in European capitals — such as buying London’s The Shard skyscraper — Qatar has been integrating itself into international finance and a network of support. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File0 FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk to each other during their meeting in Beijing, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. The two leaders used the occasion of the Winter Olympics in Beijing to hold a summit and show solidarity. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) FILE - Phil Mickelson lines up a shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., Friday, July 29, 2022. Like the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league, critics describe the 2022 World Cup, which starts Sunday, as a classic case of “sportswashing” — using sports to change a country or company's image. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) FILE - A man takes a selfie with a sign reading in English" Fifa World Cup, Qatar 2022" at the corniche in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. With no soccer tradition but billions in oil money, Qatar is the latest Persian Gulf nation using sports to try to burnish its image on the global stage. The host of the 2022 World Cup is smaller than Connecticut and has a population of fewer than 3 million. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
Qatar’s World Cup denounced for ‘washing’ country’s image