In defence of Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup
It is a worthier venue for a big sporting event than other recent hosts
Migrant workers are often treated very badly. There is much less sexual freedom than in Western countries. It is not a democracy. These statements are true of Qatar, where the month-long finals of the football World Cup begin this weekend. They are also true of Russia, which hosted the previous World Cup, and China, which hosted the most recent Olympic games, last winter. In fact, Qatar is a much more suitable country to host a big sporting event than either of those two.
At best, Western criticism of the decision to award the games to Qatar fails to distinguish between truly repugnant regimes and merely flawed ones. At worst, it smacks of blind prejudice. A lot of the indignant pundits sound as if they simply do not like Muslims or rich people.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "In defence of Qatar"
Leaders November 19th 2022
From the November 19th 2022 edition
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