Saudi Arabia Hosts Tennis, Hopes You Forget Khashoggi
The New Arab confirms Saudi Arabia will host an ATP Masters 1000 event, marking another high-profile win in the kingdom's aggressive 'Vision 2030' strategy. This influx of Saudi capital into global sports, from golf's LIV tour to boxing and now top-tier tennis, conveniently sidesteps the kingdom's egregious human rights record. One might wonder if the ATP bothered to serve a single question about
the state-sanctioned murder of Jamal Khashoggi or the mass executions that preceded this gleaming new sports deal. This isn't about growing the game; it's about scrubbing the bloodstains. The rulers of Saudi Arabia are pouring billions into these soft power plays, deflecting international scrutiny from their ongoing war in Yemen, their treatment of women, and dissent suppression. While tennis fans
cheer for aces, the international community continues to ignore the kingdom's human rights abuses, perfectly content to let sports serve as the ultimate distraction. How many Grand Slams do you need to distract from a journalist dismembered in an embassy?