Simon Chadwick

Simon Chadwick is a Professor of AfroEurasian Sport, with three decades of experience in the global sport industry. He is co-editor of The Geopolitical Economy of Sport: Power, Politics, Money and The Geopolitical Economy of Football: Where Power Meets Politics and Business, and he co-founded and co-directs the China Soccer Observatory at the University of Nottingham, additionally, Simon has taught at a number of the world’s leading business schools, including Emlyon, IESE, Otto Beisheim, Tsinghua, COPPEAD, Waseda and UM6P. He has also established and directed several research centres and think tanks at institutions such as the University of London. His research examines how states, sponsors and sporting institutions use football, the Olympics, and other global events to project power, manage reputation and pursue strategic advantage, and he has advised organisations including FIFA, UEFA, Barcelona Football Club, and Adidas. He has written extensively on sportswashing and soft power for outlets including Forbes, The Economist and Time, Wall Street Journal, European Sport Management Quarterly and has been closely involved in analysis of the last three FIFA World Cups, including Qatar 2022, where he also served as a director of research for the organisers. He has also served as a director of research for Women in Sport. Additionally, Simon frequently makes media appearances, appearing live or providing commentary for outlets such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, China Daily and CNN.

Listen to hear Dominic Bowen in conversation with Professor Simon Chadwick on what the concept of sportswashing really means, why it has traditionally been applied to authoritarian states rather than democracies and what the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, reveals about that dynamic.