All Publications: Sports & Politics

Sport and Politics in-depth file covers both the love of sport in the region and sport as a vehicle for power and corruption.

Football is a sport that Iranian Leaders feel they have to control.

Qatar took positive steps towards improving human and LGBT rights, but these steps are controversial ones.

Al-Khelaifi will stand in 2022 alongside Messi and the World Cup in Qatar’s starting line-up.

Saudi Arabia has stepped up efforts to outflank the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as the Gulf’s commercial, cultural, and/or geostrategic hub.

Hosting the championship is a minor maneuver that Egypt won’t be able to benefit from to improve its position with regional and global partners.

A remarkable European participation in the Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition.

Salah shies away from politics and seems to want to avoid problems with the state. He donated 5 million Egyptian pounds ($285,000) to the public Tahya Masr (‘long live Egypt’) fund that is used for large ‘national’ government projects such as …

The World Cup would hardly help Saudi Arabia and the UAE save face, given that the rift was designed to force Qatar to subjugate itself to the dictates of the two states. Nor would it solve or contain what UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed sees as …

Overview of all latest publications on the topic ‘Sports & Politics‘ on the topic file and elsewhere on the website.

After the 1979 revolution, Iranian wrestling was infused with the Islamic Republic’s ideological zeal. No wrestler was allowed to wrestle with an Israeli. In fact, wrestling in Iran remained a symbol of standing up to evil, be it the Shah’s …

These breeches are worn tight on the skin, but an opponent’s oiled hand can easily (and is permitted) to slip inside them for added traction. This is where some of the sport’s few rules come in, as fighters are prohibited from getting too …

It is all part of the Vision 2030 objectives, which calls for the weaning off of the country’s near total dependency on its oil resources and the introduction of a more diversified economic portfolio.

The regime’s interference in sports, whether it is to limit women’s participation in sporting events or to prevent competition against Israeli contenders, has had a notable impact on individuals, affecting their freedom, their life and, for …

Ultimately, the state hopes that fan-instigated stadium riots will not occur during the Afcon. While the ongoing clampdowns may make the state feel that this problem has been nipped in the bud, there are uncertainties. Hopefully, for the …

Bribery has become so common that there is a ‘price list’ for buying officials and players, depending on the importance of a game. Although incidents of corruption are openly addressed by local media and club officials, the Algerian Football …

Qatar appears to be adopting a somewhat more progressive stance on gender issues than several of its neighbors, including in the way it is promoting women's football.

2022 is Qatar’s first selection for the World Cup, a place it was given as the host, and the first chance the country will have to prove the strength of its grip on football on the global stage.

Beyond the social role the ultras now play, their pull has another dimension: “In the space of 90 minutes, they express the whole range of emotions that one can feel in a lifetime: joy, suffering, hatred, anguish, admiration, injustice.”

Squash can also be a means to pursue other ambitions. For instance, his squash achievements helped Ali Farag to study at Harvard University, and other players have received scholarships to study abroad. Faced with tough economic conditions and …

Whether or not al-Sheikh continues to meddle in Egyptian football, his involvement to date has certainly not gone as smoothly as he no doubt hoped.