World Cup 2022 - SFU experts available

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicks off November 20 with as much interest focused on the host nation and off-the-pitch issues as there is on the sporting action. SFU experts are available to speak to media about human rights issues surrounding the tournament, sports analytics, predictions, soccer-related research and the anticipation for the next World Cup in 2026, which Canada co-hosts with Mexico and the United States.

AVAILABLE SFU EXPERTS

HUMAN RIGHTS

GENEVIEVE LEBARON, professor, director, public policy; principle investigator,Re:Structure Lab | genevieve_lebaron@sfu.ca

• Human rights and modern slavery in supply chains related to the World Cup
  
  

EL CHENIER, professor, history  | echenier@sfu.ca

• Human rights and 2S/LGBTQ issues related to the World Cup 
• Sexuality, gender, race, equity, diversity, inclusion, non-binary experience and identity, LGBTQ+ history and experience
  
  

TRAVERS, professor, sociology  | atravers@sfu.ca

• Human rights and 2S/LGBTQ issues related to the World Cup 
• Transgender issues, trans kids/youth, sport and social justice, transgender participation and sport
  
  

BUSINESS OF SPORT

LINDSAY MEREDITH, professor emeritus, marketing | meredith@sfu.ca

• Corporate sponsorship, protests and boycotts of World Cup 
• Canada hosting 2026 World Cup
  
  

SPORTS ANALYTICS AND STATISTICS

TIM SWARTZ, professor, statistics and actuarial science  | timothy_swartz@sfu.ca 

• Rise of sports analytics and data in soccer 
• Swartz and his team have published papers on player speed, the effectiveness of crossing (author Lucas Wu; yifan_wu@sfu.ca), playing with pace (author Nirodha Epasinghege Dona; nepasing@sfu.ca), parking the bus and off-the-ball evaluations of players based on data for Chinese Super League players
  
  

JAIME TATSUBANA, alumnus, communication; owner, FootyStats.org | jaime@footystats.org

• The world’s largest website for football statistics started with support from SFU’s Coast Capital Venture Connection 
• World Cup predictions, trends and statistics
  
  

ROBOTICS

JASON PENG, assistant professor, computing science | xbpeng@sfu.ca

• Involved in a project with University of California Berkeley and Georgia Institute of Technology to develop a dynamic quadrupedal robotic goalkeeper

CONTACT

MATT KIELTYKA,  SFU Communications & Marketing 
236.880.2187 | matt_kieltyka@sfu.ca

Simon Fraser University
Communications & Marketing |  SFU Media Experts Directory
778.782.3210

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