F1 and beyond: how Saudi Arabia became center of sports world
Yesterday at 12:21 PM
A brief account of how the Arab state has, in just a few years, become the global leader in sports, at the expense of civil and human rights.
Shortly before the second semifinal of the Italian Super Cup between Milan and Juventus, won 2-1 by the Milanese team and held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, at Al-Awwal Park, the CEO of Lega Serie A, Luigi De Siervo, stated to Mediaset: “This is an important moment to promote our football in a new market, in a country that is the new center of the sports world. Saudi Arabia looks at Italy more than other leagues, and we are here to pamper them.”
Looking at the first part of these words, De Siervo, unfortunately, is not entirely wrong. In this decade, Saudi Arabia is the state that has invested its vast wealth more than any other, pouring funds into a myriad of sports to emerge globally as a leader in sports.
Formula 1 was the trailblazer of this ambitious Arab project. As we know, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, F1 risked not being held, and several smaller teams faced potential bankruptcy.
ARAMCO, the Arab oil giant of the PIF fund, came to the sport’s rescue. Through its sponsorship, it ensured the championship could proceed, saving thousands of jobs. Today, the oil company is the main sponsor of Aston Martin.
In return for this assistance, Saudi Arabia secured an F1 Grand Prix in Jeddah, on the shores of the Red Sea. In the future, potentially by 2028, the venue will shift to Qiddiya, a futuristic amusement park currently under construction.
Saudi Arabia's investments in motorsport are not limited to Formula 1 but also extend to Formula E, which will run on the same track as F1 in Jeddah, as well as in rallying and the Dakar Rally. From there, Saudi ambitions expanded further, reaching into other sports. According to “The Guardian,” the PIF fund has spent $7 billion in sports, reflecting the state’s decision to invest without regard for cost.
The PIF fund alone has spent $3.4 billion on football, some of which has been used to entice global stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, and Neymar to play in Saudi Arabia. The same fund signed a $2 billion agreement for golf, merging the LIV, Saudi Arabia’s main golf circuit, with the PGA, which hosts the major tournaments in the United States.
Saudi Arabia has also invested in tennis, one of the fastest-growing sports, bringing together the world's top six players at the Six Kings Slam. The winner, current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, was awarded a $6 million prize.
In 2022, for the heavyweight boxing match between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua (a frequent guest at F1 Grands Prix), the PIF fund spent $55 million and plans to invest around $2 billion in a global boxing championship, recruiting 200 fighters from around the world. Even WWE, the leading wrestling federation, could not resist Saudi Arabia’s pull, hosting an annual Premium Live Event, “Crown Jewel.”
In European football, Saudi Arabia hosts the Spanish Super Cup and the Italian Super Cup. Looking ahead, Saudi Arabia, as the sole candidate, will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, featuring 48 teams, with plans to build 15 new stadiums.
With its vast resources, it will even snow in Saudi Arabia. In 2029, the state will host the Asian Winter Games in Trojena, 50 km north of the Gulf of Aqaba. Trojena will feature ski resorts powered by renewable energy, artificial lakes, and hotels over an area of about 60 km², with a total investment of $460 billion.
This project is part of Saudi Vision 2030, aimed at reducing the country's dependence on oil by focusing on tourism. Essentially, Saudi Arabia is becoming the richest “amusement park state” in the world. The dream of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman is coming true. He once declared that if his country’s GDP grew by 1% through sportswashing, he would continue to invest relentlessly—and, unfortunately, he has kept his word.
Various organizations advocating for human and civil rights, including Amnesty International, criticize Saudi Arabia’s actions and collaborations with the West. Under Bin Salman’s rule, there has been an increase in capital punishment, torture, enforced disappearances, suppression of women's rights, and restrictions on freedom of expression. Discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, mass killings of migrants from neighboring Yemen, and exploitation of foreign workers are ongoing issues.
Through sports, Saudi Arabia seeks to rebuild its global reputation, but the surrounding realities, unfortunately, remain unaddressed.
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