Blurring Ethnic Lines Through Sport: Central Asia's Sporting Rise, State Investment Rationale, And The Integrity Risks.

A talk at Birkbeck's Sport Business Centre about how Central Asian states use sport for nation-building, international visibility and attracting investment, drawing on a recent paper by the speaker. Researcher and author Khais Ramanie presents cases from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, arguing that a closed-circle political elite controls sport governance there. He also warns international sport bodies and clubs about transparency and integrity risks, including the possible entry of illicit or opaque money into the sports sector from the region.