Evolution of Sustainability and Media Coverage at the 2022 Qatar World Cup: An Analytical Study

Abstract

Sustainability has become a key component of Sports Mega-Events (SME) since its inception in the 1980s and has evolved to include themes around social, economic, and environmental fronts. The 2022 Qatar World Cup is the first to be hosted in the Middle East, which presented a unique opportunity not only for Qatar to demonstrate its culture and heritage globally but also to allow people from around the world to connect with and share the Middle Eastern way of life. However, the event faced consistent criticism from Western media, governments, and NGOs, which became the key global narrative around the World Cup and reflected in the event’s sustainability strategy. This study first analyzes the sustainability frameworks of recent SMEs and finds an overwhelming focus on human rights issues in the Qatar World Cup, unlike other contemporary events. To understand this phenomenon, a content analysis of the coverage of the World Cup in major global news agencies found largely negative reporting of the event on issues such as corruption, human rights abuses, and intolerance towards marginalized communities. Applying the framework of Orientalism helps explain this disparity, and the paper furthers some tentative suggestions for governments and sports organizing bodies to adopt a sustainable framework, which is culturally responsive and aware of the needs of countries from the Global South.