Summarised by Centrist
Broadcaster Mike Hosking doesn’t think sport and politics should mix.
“Whether it’s religion, culture, politics or law and order, if you want a list of stuff we have trouble with there is no shortage of regimes and countries. Yet we buy from them, visit them and befriend them.
Then for reasons that really highlight our hypocrisy and inconsistency, we then go and get all exercised when it comes to sport,” he writes.
Hosking is responding to the debate brewing over New Zealand’s stance on Qatar’s forays into rugby. While concerns about human rights in places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia are valid, Hosking points out that they’re already heavily involved in sports due to their tourism and cultural strategies.
For Hosking, the issue is one of consistency in addressing human rights violations. Kiwis vacation in places like Fiji, and trade with countries like China.
According to Hosking, ultimately, mixing sport and politics often leads to the sport and the fans losing out, as others are ready to step up and take the cheque.
For Hosking, “That of course, is why sport and politics should never be mixed.”
