Saudi Arabia wants to establish themselves as a force in the world of sport and they have the money to do so.
In 1971 the oil-rich nation created a Public Investment Fund (PIF) which is in essence a massive savings account for the country which can be used to invest in projects. According to the BBC, its current value stands at £514bn and is controlled by Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, who is accused of being involved in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. An allegation he denies.
The PIF played a significant role in the £300m takeover of Premier League Club Newcastle United which was approved after ‘assurances’ were given that the Saudi state would not have any control. More recently, an astronomical development occurred in golf when the PIF-funded LIV series merged with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Meanwhile, in their own country, Saudi Arabia has confirmed plans to take a 75% stake in four of their national football teams which is a significant move due to the money it has available to attract players. Unlike other nations, there are no financial fair play rules so they have no limit on their spending.
Some believe it is only a matter of time before Saudi Arabia expands its activities into tennis and there is speculation that this will happen soon. In recent weeks multiple reports from newspapers such as The Telegraph and The Daily Mail believe the country is the lead bidder to host the ATP Next Gen finals. An end-of-season event that features the eight best male players under the age of 21. Past winners include Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Allegations of sportswashing
Saudi Arabia’s desire to establish itself as a sporting heavyweight is raising alarm bells for many who accused them of sportswashing. A term used to describe an organization or country that deliberately uses sport to improve its image. Among those to voice their concerns is Amnesty International.
“They are investing colossal amounts of money in entertainment and sporting events to launder its image and portray itself as a “reformist” and “progressive” state. Major sporting events in Saudi Arabia should be seen in this context- as more potential sportswashing,” Amnesty International’s regional campaigner Reina Wehbi tells Ubitennis.
“These expensive public relations schemes help Saudi Arabia turn the focus away from its appalling human rights record and avoid scrutiny for its continuous human rights violations.’
“Sporting bodies have a responsibility to undertake due diligence to identify and mitigate the human rights impact directly linked to their events.”
Amnesty International is a non-government organization focused on Human Rights. On numerous occasions they have criticized Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on government opponents, women’s rights, migrants’ rights and their use of the death penalty. They are not the only group to do so with the Human Rights Watch previously claiming that the PIF has been linked with ‘serious Human Rights abuses’ and the United Nations have also voiced their concerns.
To date, Saudi Arabia’s venture into tennis has been limited. Over the past couple of years, they have hosted the Diriyah Tennis Cup which is an extravagant exhibition men’s tournament that had on offer $3M in prize money last year. Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev were among those who played. The exhibition was organised with the help of RBG which is a company owned by Peter-Michael Reichel who is also a member of the WTA board.
The Rights of Women and LGBT+ People
Should they be named as hosts of the Next Gen Finals, there is a possibility that women could play in the Middle Eastern nation too. According to The Daily Mail, the event could be turned into a combined tournament from 2025. This itself raises a lot of questions.
“Saudi Arabia’s human rights record is a far cry from the glitz and glamour the country has been trying to project to the world,” Wehbi commented.
“Most human rights defenders, women’s rights activists, independent journalists, writers and activists in the country have been arbitrarily detained for their human rights work or expression, put through prolonged unfair trials.
“For example, Salma al-Shehab, a Leeds University PhD student and mother of two, was convicted of terrorism-related offences and sentenced to 27 years in prison after a grossly unfair trial for publishing tweets in support of women’s rights.”
On the other side of the argument, Saudi Arabia’s government says they have made strides in improving the rights of their people. In 2018 they lifted their ban on women driving and following a series of reforms in 2021 women were allowed to live independently without permission from their male guardians.
“While these reforms have had a positive impact on women, the authorities failed to abolish the male guardianship system in its entirety and instead codified it in a written law undermining these modest gains,” said Wehbi.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia sent a women’s team to play an International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament for the first time in history. The team took part in the Asia/Oceania pre-qualifying event of Billie Jean King Cup Juniors, hosted in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Another issue concerns LGBT rights. The website of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) states that ‘“Everyone is welcome to visit Saudi Arabia and visitors are not asked to disclose such personal details” in their FAQ section when speaking specifically about LGBT visitors.
“While punishments for same-sex relations are not codified under the law in Saudi Arabia, they are strictly prohibited under Shari’a (Islamic law) which Saudi Arabia draws from for its legal framework,” Wehbi explains. “Saudi’s LGBTQ community practices self-censorship. LGBTQ individuals do not publicly identify as such. Saudi Arabia does not afford Saudi LGBTQ individuals any form of protection.”
Do players have a responsibility?
Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray is one of the few tennis players to have specifically said he would not play in Saudi Arabia. Speaking to reporters at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy last week, the former world No.1 said ‘it will only be a matter of time before we see tennis tournaments played there.’ In 2022 Murray’s agent, Matt Gentry, said the tennis star was offered a ‘seven-figure sum’ to play in the country but he refused to do so.
As for other players on the Tour, is it fair to expect them to boycott playing events in certain countries due to human rights concerns? If they do so, they will miss out on both ranking points and prize money.
“Amnesty does not call on players or performers to boycott an event,” Wehbi states. “However, we do call on them to not let Saudi Arabia passively use their presence in the country as a PR stunt. We call on them to not remain silent and to use their leverage and celebrity status to speak out about victims of human rights violations and advocate for the respect and protection of human rights wherever they are.”
According to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, the PIF is the seventh-largest government-controlled fund in the world.
