The Neutrality Paradox in Sport

ISBN-13: 9783031156823 / Angielski / Miękka / 2023

Hans Erik Næss

Opis

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, sanctions were implemented that banned Russia from most international sports. As a result, sport governing bodies (SGBs) have made a marked shift in their tradition of neutrality, to a point of no return. In light of this, this book asks what is next for SGBs. It provides an analysis of the root problem that sport governing bodies have had with politics since their inception: a paradoxical treatment of neutrality. This can be evidenced by their awarding of Mega-Sport Events to authoritarian states and also through the SGBs’ own desire to make a difference by promoting human rights and sustainable development. Good or bad, the author argues that their neutrality principles are invalidated by their actions. 

Offering interdisciplinary research with empirical examples, this issue is explored in an engaging, yet analytical way, making it valuable reading for researchers and students interested in sport management, for organisations and also policy makers. This book presents a pioneering study of neutrality and autonomy in sport in light of the Ukraine crisis, and addresses a growing appetite in academia on how sport governing bodies will reconcile their commitments to societal progress, whilst maintaining neutrality.

Spis treści

Chapter 1: Introduction: The changing role of Sport Governing Bodies

 Neutrality is not a neutral word. Users of it must justify its content in order for it to make sense in given situations and contexts. Sport governing bodies (SGBs) have, however, escaped this simple requirement for more than a century. Resorting to the adage that sport and politics don’t mix, and that they therefore have no obligation to state their view on even the gravest of episodes where sport is used for political purposes is no longer justifiable. At the same time, considering the geopolitical landscape of 2022, there is little realism to be found among those who demand that FIFA become a world police of sorts or a global activist carrying the flag of human rights. But what FIFA and other SGBs can do is to assess the use of neutrality anew to strengthen their autonomy and credibility in social issues. This chapter outlines several reasons why the concept of neutrality is a relevant place to start – especially as not taking a stand is also a stand.

Chapter 2: Neutrality – A contested concept

 This chapter outlines some reasons why the meaning of ‘neutrality’, and the uses of it, is much more diverse than Sport Governing Bodies (SGBs) usually take into account. It is crucial to acknowledge this diversity because of the geopolitical role SGBs have in modern society. Many states want to host major sport events in order to boost their national image, as a way to attract tourists and investments, and to make an entry into the global political elite. Others see SGBs as key partners in achieving social progress through human rights and sustainability provisions. This role inevitably involvees a political dimension. For that reason, this chapter discusses the ramifications of neutrality along three dimensions - epistemological, moral, pragmatic – and how they correspond with the legal, diplomatic and political/ideological dimensions of neutrality. Lessons are gathered from humanitarian NGOs and diplomatic ventures and contextualised with references to thinkers like J.S. Mill and Karl Popper.

 Chapter 3: The politics of human rights and sustainable development goals

 Promoting human rights and the UN’s sustainable development goals are, despite their universal ambitions, not apolitical causes. They are the result of political debate and compromise and are not carved in stone. This flux requires sport governing bodies (SGBs) to acknowledge their political engagement when they integrate human rights and sustainable development goals (SDGs) in their work. There is too much at stake, the SGBs are too powerful to be silent, and, as in the case of the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, there is a growing risk that the consequences of evading the question will surpass those of actually making a stand. This chapter outlines what it is about these topics that makes them political, and why SGBs consequently become political when implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and sustainability measures into their bidding requirements for large sport events. Finally, the chapter discusses the political potential of merging human rights and SDGs, which according to the UN is key to making sport governing bodies contribute more to the world’s social progress. 

Chapter 4: Towards a renewed autonomy of sport governing bodies

 This chapter integrates the key trends of the discussions in previous chapters and reconnects with the claim in Chapter 1 that sport governing bodies (SGBs) need to reconsider the ethical foundation, policy content and practice of neutrality. Although the Russian invasion of Ukraine has meant that SGBs abandoned their neutrality in solidarity with the victims of war and as a way to side with the political condemnation of warfare, there will be situations in the future that will challenge the SGBs’ current idea of neutrality even without a war. These situations will most likely be even more complex and with less obvious outcomes than in the case of Ukraine when it comes to selecting governance options. Realistically speaking, no scholarly work will make SGBs fully prepared for this future. What this last chapter aims to do instead is to provide some insight into what it will take to seek preparation. By outlining some elements of a renewed autonomy for SGBs, it underlines the importance of looking forward instead of backward in search of legitimate neutrality principles.   

O autorze

Hans Erik Næss is a Professor of Sport Management at Department of Leadership and Organization, Kristiania University College, Norway. He is the author of "A History of Organizational Change: The case of Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), 1946–2020" (Palgrave Macmillan 2020) and his current work focuses on the interconnections between sport, sustainability and human rights.

Blurb

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, sanctions were implemented that banned Russia from most international sports. As a result, sport governing bodies (SGBs) have made a marked shift in their tradition of neutrality, to a point of no return. In light of this, this book asks what is next for SGBs. It provides an analysis of the root problem that sport governing bodies have had with politics since their inception: a paradoxical treatment of neutrality. This can be evidenced by their awarding of Mega-Sport Events to authoritarian states and also through the SGBs’ own desire to make a difference by promoting human rights and sustainable development. Good or bad, the author argues that their neutrality principles are invalidated by their actions. 

Offering interdisciplinary research with empirical examples, this issue is explored in an engaging, yet analytical way, making it valuable reading for researchers and students interested in sport management, for organisations and also policy makers. This book presents a pioneering study of neutrality and autonomy in sport in light of the Ukraine crisis, and addresses a growing appetite in academia on how sport governing bodies will reconcile their commitments to societal progress, whilst maintaining neutrality.

Hans Erik Næss is a Professor of Sport Management at Department of Leadership and Organization, Kristiania University College, Norway. He is the author of "A History of Organizational Change: The case of Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), 1946–2020" (Palgrave Macmillan 2020) and his current work focuses on the interconnections between sport, sustainability and human rights.