Major sporting events can be ethically charged. They may be hosted by fascist regimes\, as a way to gain a perception of legitimacy on the world stage. Notably\, the 1936 Olympic games was hosted by Nazi Germany\, and opened by Adolf Hitler. More recently\, the FIFA World Cup in 2018 was hosted by Russia\, only a few years after their 2014 annexation of Crimea\, and before their recent invasion of Ukraine. The following World Cup was also extremely controversial\, because of Qatar&rsquo\;s human rights record\, and the environmental and human cost of the stadium construction\, with an estimates that over 6\,500 workers died in inhumane working conditions. \; The practice of using sporting competitions to launder a regime&rsquo\;s reputation has been described as sportswashing (e.g.\, Fruh\, Archer and Wojtowicz 2023).
\n\; \; \; \; \; \; \; Competitions like this raise serious ethical questions. Should the athletes involved speak out against the regime? Should companies withdraw sponsorship? Should sports teams or national associations refuse to participate? Given the significant cost of actions of this sort\, can other measures - short of boycotts - be justified? And what should fans do? Knowing that their behaviour may make no difference (particularly if they just watch on TV)\, they may find themselves torn\, and wonder whether there really is any reason to avoid watching. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup\, hosted in the USA\, Canada and Mexico\, these questions are as timely as ever. The USA will host the majority of the matches in this tournament\, and many have suggested that Trump&rsquo\;s America is sliding towards fascism.
\nThis workshop will bring together experts in applied ethics\, philosophy of sport\, business ethics and political philosophy. Respondents (TBA) will provide a commentary for each paper\, before a Q&\;A. \;
\nFor further information about this workshop\, please contact Joe Slater (joe.slater@glasgow.ac.uk). Simillarly\, for a Zoom link to the event\, please email Joe Slater.
\nA separate workshop will take place in Glasgow the day after this one\, relating to an upcoming book - The Ethics of Sportswashing (by Kyle Fruh\, Alfred Archer and Jake Wojtowicz). For details of that event\, see its PhilEvents page: \;https://philevents.org/event/show/148049 \;
ORGANIZER;CN=Joe Slater: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260417T073955Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260521T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260521T170000 SUMMARY:Book Workshop: The Ethics of Sportswashing (hybrid) UID:20260417T161604Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-g4ggw TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Glasgow\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:Sportswashing has recently grown into a vital concept in scholarly and public discussions of sport. In 2022\, the Collins dictionary named &lsquo\;sportswashing&rsquo\; one of their ten Words of the Year\, reflecting the extent of public discussion of the term in the run-up to the 2022 Men&rsquo\;s Football World Cup in Qatar. The term is used as a criticism of owners of clubs or hosts of competitions and has established a foothold in both journalistic and academic work. But there has been very little academic discussion of what exactly sportswashing \;is \;or why it \;matters. \;
\nIn \;The Ethics of Sportswashing\, \;Kyle Fruh\, Alfred Archer\, and Jake Wojtowicz take on a few main aims:
\nArguing for a clear and workable concept of sportswashing\, which explains why sportswashing is \;distinctive \;from other issues while showing how it relates to them (e.g. other exercises of soft power).
\nDefending the concept of sportswashing against critiques that it is a xenophobic concept wielded solely against Arab states. \;Exploring whether the concept should be applied more widely.
\nExplaining why sportswashing is wrong. The arguments of the book will use real-world cases in showing how sportswashing corrupts institutions and sporting values\, how it exploits an inescapable vulnerability of caring about sports\, and how it renders players\, fans\, and others complicit.
\nOffering a constructive picture of how moral responsibility for confronting sportswashing can be taken up by various parties.
\nInvited contributors to this workshop will offer comments and critiques\, to which the authors will respond. There will also be time for general discussion of the book and its topics. \;
\nCommentators include:
\nThe workshop will be hosted at Glasgow University and online\, on May 21st 2026. The workshop will run 1pm-5pm local time. \; \;
\nTo register for this workshop\, please email the three organisers at: Jakewojtow@gmail.com\; kyle.fruh@dukekunshan.edu.cn\; A.T.M.Archer@tilburguniversity.edu \;
\nA Zoom link will follow registration. \;
\nThis event is made possible through \;gracious support from the Duke Kunshan University Humanities Research Center.
ORGANIZER;CN=Kyle Fruh;CN=Alfred Archer;CN=Jake Wojtowicz: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260417T073955Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260902T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260904T170000 SUMMARY:IRCA 2026 - Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Aphantasia UID:20260417T161605Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-g4ggw TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Glasgow G12 8QQ\, United Kingdom\, Glasgow\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:Aphantasia\, characterised as a reduction or absent vividness in voluntary visual imagery\, has emerged over the past decade as a rapidly developing area of interdisciplinary research.
\nIRCA &ndash\; the Interdisciplinary Reading Club on Aphantasia &ndash\; is now hosting the first interdisciplinary conference on aphantasia in collaboration with University of Glasgow&rsquo\;s Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience. The conference will be held over three days and aims to bring together international researchers from psychology\, neuroscience\, philosophy\, and related disciplines. The conference seeks to foster discussion on aphantasia\, consolidate current empirical and theoretical knowledge\, and promote collaboration on future research directions.
\nThe program will include five keynote speakers\, as well as contributed talks and poster presentations selected from submitted abstracts.
\nKeynote speakers: \;
\nWilma Bainbridge
\nAndrea Blomkvist
\nJorge Morales
\nLars Muckli
\nAdam Zeman
\n\n**** ABSTRACT SUBMISSION OPEN ****
\nCALL FOR ABSTRACTS
\nAbstract submission link: \;https://sites.google.com/view/irca-conference-2026/call-for-abstracts?authuser=0
\nAbstracts should be no longer than 1000 words (excluding references) and submitted as a Word or PDF file.
\n\nDeadline for abstract submission: \;17/04/2026 (23:59\, BST)
\nNotification of acceptance for \;talk or poster: End of April 2026
\nConference registration open: Early May 2026
\n\nTopics of interest include\, but are not limited to:
\nCognitive and Perceptual Processes
\nMental imagery
\nPerception
\nSpatial cognition
\nMemory
\nAttention
\nInteroception
\nUnconscious mental imagery
\nInner speech
\nRepresentational and Metacognitive Approaches
\nRepresentational formats and computational mechanisms
\nMetacognition and introspective access
\nPhenomenology of imagery
\nNeural and Methodological Approaches
\nPsychophysics
\nNeuroimaging
\nDevelopmental\, Clinical\, and Mental Health Perspectives
\nNeurodevelopmental aspects of aphantasia
\nClinical and mental health perspectives
\nPhilosophical and theoretical questions
\nHow to define aphantasia
\nTheories of aphantasia
\nHistorical perspectives on aphantasia
\nWe hope to see you in Glasgow!
\nORGANISERS \;
\nAndrea Blomkvist
\nJianghao Liu
\nChristian O. Scholz \;
ORGANIZER;CN=Andrea Blomkvist;CN=Christian O. Scholz: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR