The Routledge Handbook of Mega-Sporting Events and Human Rights is the first book to explore in depth the topic of mega-sporting events (MSEs) and human rights, offering accounts of adverse human rights impacts linked to MSEs while considering the potential for promoting human rights in and through the framework of these events. Drawing on the contributions of an international group of leading researchers, practitioners and advocates, the book introduces key concepts in human rights and considers how they relate to ethical, social, managerial and governance issues in contemporary MSEs, from inclusion and welfare to corruption and sustainability. It examines the role of key stakeholders in the delivery of MSEs, including organising committees, sport governing bodies, governments, athletes, sponsors and broadcasters, as well as the role of activists and advocates, and presents historical and contemporary case studies of human rights as an active issue in MSEs. The book provides new perspectives on human rights as a lens for understanding modern sport and as a guiding principle for responsible sport that protects the interests of individuals and communities, as well as offering guidance on best practice. It is essential reading for all advanced students, researchers, practitioners, policymakers and stakeholders with an interest in organisation and delivery of MSEs, as well as general sport management, sport policy, sport governance, the ethics of sport, event management, political science, development studies, ethical business or the significance of sport in wider society.

Beyond the headlines of the world's most beloved sporting events Brazil hosted the 2016 men's World Cup at a cost of $15 billion to $20 billion, building large, new stadiums in cities that have little use for them anymore. The projected cost of Tokyo's 2020 Summer Olympic Games is estimated to be as high as $30 billion, much of it coming from the public trough. In the updated and expanded edition of his bestselling book, Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup, Andrew Zimbalist tackles the claim that cities chosen to host these high-profile sporting events experience an economic windfall. In this new edition he looks at upcoming summer and winter Olympic games, discusses the recent Women's World Cup, and the upcoming men's tournament in Qatar. Circus Maximus focuses on major cities, like London, Rio, and Barcelona, that have previously hosted these sporting events, to provide context for future host cities that will bear the weight of exploding expenses, corruption, and protests. Zimbalist offers a sobering and candid look at the Olympics and the World Cup from outside the echo chamber.

"In December 2010, the small Gulf state of Qatar won its bid to host the 2022 World Cup--a first for an Arab country. Over the next decade the country will undertake massive new construction to support the quadrennial world championship soccer games. Underpinning this push is a vast army of migrant workers, who comprise a staggering 94 percent of Qatar's workforce--1.2 million of its 1.7 million residents--the highest percentage of migrants to citizens in the world. Qatar's World Cup selection means that worker recruitment will reach new heights: media have reported that over a million additional workers may be needed to carry out World Cup-related construction. Yet the deeply problematic working conditions of migrant workers throughout the country mean that realizing Qatar's World Cup vision may depend on their abuse and exploitation unless adequate measures are taken to address the human rights problems widespread in the construction industry in Qatar. This report documents pervasive employer exploitation and abuse of workers in Qatar's construction industry, made possible by an inadequate legal and regulatory framework that grants employers extensive control over workers and prohibits migrant workers from exercising their rights to free association and collective bargaining. It also addresses the government's failure to enforce those laws that at least on paper are designed to protect worker rights. It examines why violations of workers' rights go largely undetected, and looks at the barriers that workers face in reporting complaints or seeking redress. The report includes recommendations to the government on legal reforms and implementation mechanisms, and to the relevant private sector actors on public commitments that could alleviate such abuses moving forward."--P. [4] of cover.

This book critically discusses the role of sports in nation branding and public diplomacy during the years 2020 and 2022, as the world was going through a global pandemic and health, economic, social, and political crises. The book argues that the use of sports for nation branding and public diplomacy goals is not new, but the changes the world went through required nations, places, communities, and individuals to modify and adapt the ways they use sports for country image purposes. After discussing global changes, the book outlines the theoretical frameworks of nation branding and public diplomacy, and discusses their manifestations through the evolution of the FIFA World Cup, the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the role of Title IX in American sports, the European Super League, the Oregon22 World Athletics Championships, the emergence of sport-tech diplomacy, and though the role of sports and the global order in an ever-changing world.

Against a backdrop of increased online distribution of media, this book provides an in-depth analysis of how the platformisation of television is both shaping and being shaped by the changing sports media market. Beginning by looking at the business models and strategies of the major stakeholders involved in the ‘sports broadcasting value chain’, the authors go on to focus on the challenges and opportunities posed by the growth of OTT delivery for the regulation of sports broadcasting in several key areas, including copyright law and piracy; competition issues linked to the buying, selling and distribution of premium sports content; and legislation designed to safeguard coverage of certain national and international sporting events for free-to-air television. Key areas of continuity, such as the persistence of national/regional markets; the importance attached to premium sports rights by rival delivery platforms as a source of ‘market power’; and the need to update key areas of policy and regulation in order to address challenges posed by the use of OTT delivery, are also discussed. This book makes use of a range of international and regional examples and case studies, not least the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, and identifies different strategies employed in the buying, selling and distribution of sports rights for all major parties in the sports media value chain, including new entrant OTT players, traditional pay-TV operators, public service broadcasters, and a range of international sports organizations. Providing a complete assessment of the relevance and future effectiveness of key areas of policy and regulation in sports media distribution, this book is recommended reading for advanced students and researchers of Sports Media, Sports Management, and Media Industries.

Sport is a global phenomenon engaging billions of people and generating annual revenues of more than US$ 145 billion. Problems in the governance of sports organisations, fixing of matches and staging of major sporting events have spurred action on many fronts. Yet attempts to stop corruption in sport are still at an early stage. The Global Corruption Report (GCR) on sport is the most comprehensive analysis of sports corruption to date. It consists of more than 60 contributions from leading experts in the fields of corruption and sport, from sports organisations, governments, multilateral institutions, sponsors, athletes, supporters, academia and the wider anti-corruption movement. This GCR provides essential analysis for understanding the corruption risks in sport, focusing on sports governance, the business of sport, planning of major events, and match-fixing. It highlights the significant work that has already been done and presents new approaches to strengthening integrity in sport. In addition to measuring transparency and accountability, the GCR gives priority to participation, from sponsors to athletes to supporters an essential to restoring trust in sport.

Covering a breadth of topics surrounding the current state of women in sports, this two-volume collection taps current events, sociological and feminist theory, and recent research to contextualize women's experiences in sports within a patriarchal society and highlight areas for improvement. Women are continuing to break barriers in all aspects of sports, and a growing number of people are beginning to recognize sex disparities in sports as a social problem. Additionally, women's inclusion and exclusion in sports—and their equitable and inequitable treatment on the playing field—have large-scale social, legal, health, and economic consequences. Women in Sports: Breaking Barriers, Facing Obstacles comprehensively examines the state of women in sports by considering current events, controversies, and trends as well as qualitative and quantitative research. The contributors to this volume take a sociological approach to discussing women in sports by questioning dominant assumptions surrounding notions of women's biological athletic inferiority and by examining other social constructs that affect women's experiences in sports, such as race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. The book offers a complete and up-to-date account of women's experiences in sports through coverage of the history of women's participation in sports (with a focus on exceptional female athletes) and of the increasing number of women who are competing in traditionally male sports, such as football, baseball, and mixed martial arts. Readers will come away with a greater appreciation for the issues of equity that women face, both within the world of sports and in society in general.