Mohamed Keita

Oct 17, 2024 | hrf.org | Karim Zidan |Mohamed Keita

On March 21, 1980 — less than a month following the Miracle on Ice — Carter announced the US would boycott the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This marked the first of numerous times that the two superpowers would use boycotts as part of their political arsenal. The decision was not hastily taken.

Sep 6, 2024 | hrf.org | Karim Zidan |Mohamed Keita

The aftermath of World War II left Europe with one surviving fascist dictator: General Francisco Franco, who had prevailed in the Spanish Civil War with the military support of Hitler and Mussolini. Following the Civil War, In 1941, the dictator established by decree a state institution called the Delegación Nacional de Deportes, which brought all sporting activities and institutions — including Spain’s National Olympic Committee — under the control of his one-party totalitarian regime.

Aug 8, 2024 | hrf.org | Karim Zidan |Mohamed Keita

By Karim Zidan and Mohamed Keita Long before the inception of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, sports have been used to distract the masses, test foreign policies, thaw diplomatic tensions, and broadcast political and social messaging. In the modern era, authoritarian regimes have tapped into the popularity of sports within popular culture to manipulate domestic and global perceptions as a form of sophisticated soft power strategy.