Stanis Elsborg

“Not all bridges built for peace”

In 2024, 🇺🇦 athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych made a powerful speech at our @playthegame-org.bsky.social conference.

Now, Heraskevych is barred from competing with a helmet honouring 🇺🇦 athletes who lost their lives in Russia’s war.

Watch👉 vimeo.com/962035621?sh...

Vladyslav Heraskevych: Ukraine skeleton racer says IOC banned war victims helmet Ukranian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych claims the IOC has banned his helmet featuring images of people killed in the war in his home country, in a decision that

The IOC insists that politics must be kept out of the Olympics to protect the Games’ neutrality. However, it is a paradox that IOC’s characterisation of politicisation only seems to apply to athletes and not the host nations. 3/3

www.bbc.com/sport/articl...

Rule 50 and the Olympic paradox IOC President Thomas Bach made it very clear in his New Year’s speech that politics should be kept out of the Olympics to protect the event’s neutrality.

The response from IOC: No, according to Heraskevych.

The reason, presumably: Rule 50.

This is exactly the paradox I analysed in my @playthegame_org article “A fist of freedom or a fist of iron? Rule 50 and the Olympic paradox.” 2/3👇

www.playthegame.org/news/a-fist-...

A helmet too political for the Olympics?

🇺🇦Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych wanted to compete wearing a helmet honouring Ukrainian athletes who have died as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

🧵Thread, 1/3

Saudi Sportswashing Falters as Players Exit, Projects Scale Back Saudi Sportswashing Falters as Players Exit, Projects Scale Back Oil price decline, strategic shifts prompt Saudi Arabia to scale back sports investments, prioritize 2034 World Cup

I spoke with Yookun Seo from The Chosun about the evolving landscape of Saudi Arabia’s global sports spending.

In English👉 www.chosun.com/english/mark...

Jeg håber nogen hos #dkmedier griber @staniselsborg.bsky.social pointe med at DBU også havde sagt de ikke ville spille mod Belarus. Indtil de gjorde det alligevel

Og jeg afslører måske mine tanker om DBU, men ord betyder noget, så når direktøren vælger at omtale det som "konflikten i Ukraine"....

"How can FIFA continue to operate without meaningful political or legal oversight? Why do authorities cling to the myth that sport and politics can be separated? And why does the responsibility to speak out fall on athletes and fans when key decisions were taken much earlier, behind closed doors?"

«Mediene svikter sitt oppdrag når fotball-VM kun blir et spørsmål om ja eller nei til boikott» - Idrettspolitikk GJESTEKOMMENTAR: Debatten om boikott av et internasjonalt idrettsarrangement er tilbake, denne gangen med fotball-VM i 2026 i sentrum. Det samme gjelder medienes velkjente, forenklede innramming: boik...

Forrige uke ble jeg konkaktet av flere medier der jeg fikk spørsmål om jeg var for eller i mot boikott. Da jeg heller ville prate om hva som er problematisk med VM i USA, ble det stille.

@staniselsborg.bsky.social setter ord på det jeg mener om dette.

idrettspolitikk.no/2026/01/30/m...

When journalists frame sports boycotts as a simple yes/no question, they fail their democratic role.

My comment on the boycott debate and the media’s responsibility is now available in English via @playthegame-org.bsky.social

👉 www.playthegame.org/news/sports-...

Exactly! That's part of the ritual😊

Thank you, and thanks a lot for sharing it!

Thank you, and thanks a lot for sharing it!

Mange tak! Og tak for at dele!

This is v.good. I get the boycott calls, but the discussion cannot stop there.

We also need to know how FIFA will protect fans from ICE, allow peaceful protest, ensure fans can travel safely.

We need to dissect the responsibilities of FAs and sponsors. And work out how to hold people accountable.

bsky.app/profile/stan...

Journalism is failing the World Cup boycott debate.

Once again, media coverage reduces complex sports-political realities to a simple yes-or-no question: boycott or not?

👉 journalisten-dk.translate.goog/journalistik...

Play the Game seeks an editor Opening a new position for an editor and international relations manager, Play the Game aims to strengthen its work to promote democratic values in international sport.

Opening a new position for an editor and international relations manager, @playthegame-org.bsky.social aims to strengthen its work to promote democratic values in international sport.

www.playthegame.org/news/play-th...

While headlines have focused on the Battle of the Sexes showmatch between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios, far less attention has been paid to where the match was staged – and what that context… | St... While headlines have focused on the Battle of the Sexes showmatch between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios, far less attention has been paid to where the match was staged – and what that context repre...

While headlines focus on the Sabalenka–Kyrgios showmatch, far less attention is paid to where it was staged - and why that matters.

Dubai, the UAE, and the political use of elite sport amid severe human rights atrocities.

www.linkedin.com/posts/stanis...

While headlines have focused on the Battle of the Sexes showmatch between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios, far less attention has been paid to where the match was staged – and what that context… | St... While headlines have focused on the Battle of the Sexes showmatch between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios, far less attention has been paid to where the match was staged – and what that context repre...

While headlines focus on the Sabalenka–Kyrgios showmatch, far less attention is paid to where it was staged - and why that matters.

Dubai, the UAE, and the political use of elite sport amid severe human rights atrocities.

www.linkedin.com/posts/stanis...

A recent article reignites the debate about children in elite sport.

Jørn Sønderholm argues for allowing professional contracts at 13.

The Danish Minister of Culture, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, strongly disagrees.

Full context and sources👉 www.linkedin.com/posts/stanis...

Omstridt president (81) gjenvalgt: – Håndballen fortjener mer | Stanis Elsborg 25 years in power – and still re-elected. What does this say about international handball? Today, Hassan Moustafa (81) was re-elected as president of the International Handball Federation. I was aske...

Today, Hassan Moustafa (81) was re-elected as president of the International Handball Federation. I was asked by @Frib3rg from @vgnett to comment on governance and democracy in the IHF. These are the core points from my responses.

👉 www.linkedin.com/posts/stanis...

Yesterday, the Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Final was played.

The NBA champions social justice and freedom of expression - while partnering with the UAE, an authoritarian state with a documented human rights record.

👉 www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/o...

FIFA+ livestreams fuel global in-play betting markets New research from Play the Game shows how unlicensed betting companies are using FIFA’s own streaming platform to offer in-play wagers on low-level matches worldwide. Many smaller federations are unaw...

🚨New research by @stevemenary.bsky.social and @samindrakunti.bsky.social for @playthegame-org.bsky.social shows how FIFA’s streaming platform is being exploited by unlicensed betting operators to offer in-play betting on hundreds of football matches.

www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-li...

Play the Game seeks an editor Opening a new position for an editor and international relations manager, Play the Game aims to strengthen its work to promote democratic values in international sport.

Opening a new position for an editor and international relations manager, @playthegame-org.bsky.social aims to strengthen its work to promote democratic values in international sport.

👉 www.playthegame.org/news/play-th...

YouTube video by FOX Soccer Gianni Infantino gives first speech as FIFA President

"We will restore the image of #FIFA and the respect of FIFA. And everyone in the world will applaud us, and will applaud all of you, for what we will do in FIFA in the future."

- Gianni Infantino, 2016

youtu.be/raMa-s8I6Us?...

Football's multi-club ownership crisis In just four years, multi-club ownership has exploded, concentrating power in the hands of a few investor groups. This collection of articles will help you understand how MCO affects thousands of play...

. @fckobenhavndk.bsky.social on its way into the “MCO club”?

Learn more about football’s multi-club ownership crisis👇 #fck #sldk #mco #fcklive

www.playthegame.org/themes/footb...

Saudi Arabia’s grip on world sport Play the Game presents a new report and dataset which uncover the extensive scale and intricate networks behind Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy.

💥One year on: Saudi Arabia’s grip on world sport has only tightened🇸🇦

Exactly one year ago, we published @playthegame_org's investigation into Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in global sport👇

www.playthegame.org/projects/sau...

💥 Scams, slavery, and surface-to-air missiles!

These are the brutal realities behind parts of the global online betting industry - as revealed by investigative journalist Lindsey Kennedy in her hard-hitting presentation at @playthegame-org.bsky.social 2025

👉 www.playthegame.org/news/scams-s...

14 days ago, we kicked off Play the Game 2025 ❗ I opened the conference with a call to drive dialogue for democracy in sport. In times when open debate is under pressure – both in sport and in… | S... 14 days ago, we kicked off Play the Game 2025 ❗ I opened the conference with a call to drive dialogue for democracy in sport. In times when open debate is under pressure – both in sport and in soci...

14 days ago, we kicked off Play the Game 2025 ❗

I opened the conference with a call to drive dialogue for democracy in sport...

For speeches and video-on-demand👉 www.linkedin.com/posts/stanis...

@playthegame-org.bsky.social

Whistleblower reveals Qatar’s surveillance of journalists during 2022 World Cup preparations In a session at Play the Game 2025, the former media manager of Qatar's World Cup Supreme Committee exposed all the tricks in Qatar's media strategy.

Whistleblower reveals Qatar’s surveillance of journalists during 2022 World Cup preparations

www.playthegame.org/news/abdulla...