|
"If sportswashing (is) going to increase my GDP
by 1%, then we'll continue doing sportswashing," the crown
prince told Fox News.
Saudi Arabia has made massive investments in soccer, golf
Formula One, boxing and tennis in recent years through its
Public Wealth Fund, which is chaired by the crown prince, the
kingdom's de facto ruler since 2015.
Critics accuse the country of using its sovereign wealth fund to
engage in "sportswashing" in the face of heavy criticism of
Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
Saudi Arabia denies accusations of human rights abuses and says
it protects its national security through its laws.
When asked specifically about the term "sportswashing", the
crown prince said: "I don't care. I have 1% GDP growth from
sports and I'm aiming for another 1.5%. Call it whatever you
want - we're going to get that other 1.5%."
PIF owns an 80% stake in Premier League club Newcastle United
and funded LIV Golf, which recruited high-profile players from
the PGA Tour and Europe's DP World Tour before announcing an
agreement to merge and form one unified commercial entity.
It also took a majority ownership stake in four of the country's
top soccer clubs in June before teams in the Saudi Pro League
spent nearly $1 billion in the transfer window which closed on
Sept. 7.
Saudi Arabia has been hosting a Formula One Grand Prix since
2021 and has also held boxing world title fights. It will stage
a professional tennis event for the first time this year.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad; Editing by Michael
Perry)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
