Please join the Harriman Institute, New York University's Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia, and the Columbia Journalism School for a panel discussion regarding the relationship between global sporting events and their world governing bodies and local political agendas.
Seating is available on a first come, first seated basis.
PANEL
Jane Buchanan, Associate Director, Europe & Central Asia Division, Human Rights Watch
Natalie Koch, Associate Professor of Geography, Syracuse University
Gabriele Marcotti, ESPN Senior Writer and Times Columnist
Moderators:
Alexander Cooley, Director, Harriman Institute, Columbia University
Joshua Tucker, Director, Jordan Center, New York University
From June 14 to July 15, 2018, the Russian Federation will host the 21st FIFA World Cup finals, the most watched global sporting event. In the wake of the International Olympic Committee’s recent decision to ban Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the FIFA World Cup offers Moscow the opportunity to regain the global spotlight and rebrand itself. Our panel, consisting of leading academics, activists and sports journalists will consider the relationship between global sporting events, their world governing bodies and local political agendas, and will identify the trends, themes and tensions that will drive international media coverage of the tournament: How should sports journalists manage the balance between covering a sporting event and delving into the political controversies that may surround its staging? What were the particular lessons learned by international activists from their efforts to use the 2014 Sochi Olympics as an campaign opportunity? And, in general, how should we understand and evaluate the impact of a global sporting spectacle on the political agenda of a host country’s governing regime?
This event is part of the Columbia-NYU New York Russia Public Policy Series.
Support for this event is provided by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
