“Can a game ever be ‘just a game’ if it’s used to hide human rights abuses?”

As we approach the massive sporting events of 2026, the debate around “Sportswashing” has never been more relevant. This modular lesson (designed for 1–2 hours of teaching) challenges pupils to investigate the moral responsibility of hosting global tournaments and the impact they have on human rights.

What’s Included in this Lesson Pack:

Core Teaching Content: An exploration of how countries use sport to improve their global reputation, featuring high-profile case studies like the World Cup in Qatar and the rising influence of Saudi Arabia in global sport.

Ethics in Focus: A deep dive into the tension between commercial success and ethical responsibility. Should we boycott events in countries with poor human rights records?

Literacy Integration: Includes a topical article from Amnesty International featuring tiered comprehension tasks that build critical analysis skills.

The Big Blether: 5 versatile discussion questions designed to spark debate—perfect for starters, plenaries, or carousel activities.

3 Varied Pupil Tasks: A choice of activities including a “Human Rights Auditor” task, a persuasive writing challenge, and a creative “Ethical Host” design project.

Curriculum & Skills Mapping:

CfE Benchmarks: Directly linked to RME (3-09b—Human Rights) and Social Studies (SOC 4-16a).

This is a standalone module from the Ethics in Sport 10-lesson unit. It is perfect for the S1–S3 timetable change, offering a sophisticated yet accessible way to tackle global issues.

Empower your pupils to look behind the trophy and understand the global impact of sport.