Situated in the South Caucasus, the oil-rich state of Azerbaijan finds itself central to geopolitical strategy due to its location, resources and authoritarian regime. In an effort to appear more internationally powerful and mask its highly questionable human rights record, Azerbaijan appears to be using the medium of sporting events to develop its soft power. By hosting sporting events, it has endeavoured to promote itself as influential on the world stage, despite scathing criticism of its political actions and attitude to human rights. How can this increased visibility through sports aid the state of Azerbaijan internationally, and what are the limitations of a sportswashing strategy?
Sportswashing, the use of sporting events to promote a state internationally and alter the negative perception that is often linked with immoral or illegal actions, is often employed to mask human rights abuses, political corruption and dictatorial regimes. It is a widely practiced phenomenon, with key examples across the world being the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the various sporting acquisitions made by the Saudi Investment fund. These are all states with marked human rights records and show examples of the appeal of sportswashing for authoritarian regimes that have been heavily criticised or lack legitimate standing in global affairs.
Azerbaijan has hosted numerous major sporting events in the past fifteen years. These include the 2015 European Games, 2019 Europa League Final, EURO 2020 fixtures, numerous combat sports events and most notably the Formula One Baku Grand Prix from 2017 (In 2016 the European Grand Prix was also hosted in Baku). This represents a wide range of sports, allowing for a more diverse and larger viewer base, increasing Azerbaijan’s exposure to a more significant audience. Combat sports such as boxing and wrestling are its only notably successful sports in any of the competitions Azerbaijan has hosted, creating domestic interest in an attempt to strengthen the regime internally, while using various other sports to reach international audiences, attracting huge viewership to help familiarise viewers with the country.
This use of sport to promote Azerbaijan provides significant benefits to the state. The Baku Grand Prix alone attracts over 12,000 foreign tourists to the city each year. The economic boost this will provide to Baku and the thousands of jobs created show its international relevance alongside domestic development. PricewaterhouseCoopers reports that the early years of the Baku Grand Prix injected over $500 million into the local economy. Alongside this, ESPN alone saw 1.1 million viewers for the 2025 race, with estimates of total viewership standing at 86 million worldwide. This provides millions with a glimpse into the tourist infrastructure of Azerbaijan, promoting it internationally to a wide audience and generating curiosity. While this will not mean it is totally approved of by everyone watching, it shows off nightlife, historical architecture and public systems of the state, promoting Azerbaijan indirectly. However, domestic support that could be garnered from economic boosts is not achieved by sportswashing alone. Classed as ‘not free’ by Freedom House, Azerbaijan relies just as much on repression as it does on legitimising itself through grandiose events. This perspective is key, as it is important to remember that sportswashing is just one tool, useful for helping to sanitise a state’s image, alongside other tactics used by regimes to legitimise themselves.
The use of sports to attract powerful political and international business figures to a state is beneficial to Azerbaijan. Major sporting events often command the presence of political leaders, government ministers and the leadership of big organisations, such as the opening ceremony of the European games. This ceremony alone was attended by a long list, including the Presidents of Russia and Turkey, along with senior royals from Saudi Arabia, Monaco and Luxembourg. Further, Italy’s foreign minister said that he first visited the city of Baku thanks to the 2026 Baku Grand Prix, while praising the closer relations of the states. These can provide an excellent opportunity for a government such as Azerbaijan’s to entertain such dignitaries, developing international links through ceremony and hospitality. This ability to court leaders, demonstrating soft power in the process, may lead to trade talks and other beneficial arrangements. In Azerbaijan’s case, this can be advantageous with the abundance of oil in the country, along with courting favour from leaders when Azerbaijan’s international reputation has taken a significant hit over its role in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. By opening an avenue to then maintain or improve relations, sporting events give Azerbaijan a unique and strong selling point. A significant advantage of sportswashing is that hosting events attracts investment and can develop diplomatic relations in a way which traditional dialogue may struggle to achieve.
Although Azerbaijan has worked to endear itself to global markets and potential visitors, it is evident that the increased visibility provided by sporting events has not helped in sanitising the controversial image of the state. Azerbaijan has faced severe criticism for its decision to carry out a military offensive in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2023 and its treatment of Armenians in the region, and is often accused by Human Rights Watch of restricting reporting of human rights issues. This means that sportswashing, while successful in promoting a state’s soft power and boosting international visibility, is not suitable for covering up other major political concerns. The Armenian government, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are among those who have called for the stripping of hosting rights for the Baku Grand Prix due to human rights violations in Azerbaijan. This displays the limitations of sportswashing, as it can only promote a nation, and is weaker in covering up more severe abuses.
Azerbaijan therefore provides a strong case study in both the strengths and limitations of sportswashing as a political tool. While it has been useful in creating exposure for the country, it has only made a limited impression in masking the repression and geopolitical tensions that plague Azerbaijan.
