Saudi Arabia’s strategic interest in sports and entertainment events dates back to November 2016 when crown prince Mohammed bin Salman made it a pivotal part of Vision 2030, a development proposal that laid out a modern, technocratic future for Saudi Arabia in which the country would be free of its heavy dependence on oil.
However, Saudi Arabia has also been accused of sportswashing, a term used to describe authoritarian regimes using sports to manipulate international perception and to cleanse their human rights atrocities.
In modern times, sportswashing has become a complex soft power strategy. It is usually multi-pronged and multi-layered, attempting to achieve a wide range of goals rather than a singular aim. In Saudi’s case, it can be used as a form of diplomacy and a way to alter any negative perception on an international stage or to promote economic diversity and tourism as well as to distract from an ongoing war in Yemen.
I appeared on CNN with Paula Newton to discuss the concerning elements of the kingdom’s sports strategy.
