There are plenty of British politicians who love talking about sport. It makes them appear normal, grounded and relatable to voters.

But it seems that not many enjoy talking about the political side of it – especially the concept of “sportswashing”, when sport is allegedly used by a country to deflect attention away from concerns over issues such as human rights violations it might be involved in.

My recently published research shows that UK politicians have been extremely reluctant to discuss this difficult subject. The term “sportswashing” has been uttered just 37 times in the UK parliament since its first mention in 2021 (that was in relation to the failed plans for a breakaway European super league).

Elsewhere, the idea of sportswashing has become widely discussed, as ever increasing levels of sporting investment are used by (usually authoritarian) governments as a form of global influence.

But even in 2022, referred to by some as sportswashing’s “biggest year” – because of the men’s World Cup in Qatar and the winter Olympics in Beijing – the term was uttered just five times.

This hesitancy to address the topic might appear strange when the UK is home to some of the most high-profile events and teams accused of being associated with........

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