The role of sponsors in moral questions that arise around sport was back in the spotlight this weekend amid protest over the running of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Two weeks on from IBM’s uncomfortable relationship with the US Masters, the question of whether Formula One sponsors should have acted over protests against the race on grounds of the country’s human rights record similarly went unresolved.
Commentators were drawing comparison with the sporting boycott of South Africa during the Apartheid years as tensions rose rapidly in Bahrain.  During the week, mechanics and officials of the Force India team were caught up in rioting between police and protesters and a petrol bomb exploded beside the coach they were using for transport between the track and their hotel.
Some went home and the team missed the third practice session on Friday, prompting an apparent punitive ‘blackout’ in TV coverage of the team for the qualifying sessions on Saturday.
Formula One denied this was the case, shifting the blame on the livery of the car carrying the sponsorship of Whyte and MacKay which raised questions over alcohol sponsorship in the country.
The death of a protester on Saturday, allegedly killed by police seeking to maintain order did not prevent the race from continuing and the involvement of the government at a high level within the sport means the issue is not going to go away.
The issue of moral hazard is one that sponsors and commercial partners need to consider with any relationship but especially so in sport where the spotlight can be so intense.
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