As part of the Kingdom’s efforts to invest in the sports arena, the Royal Commission for Al-Ula now owns the sponsorship rights to Australia’s cycling team, ‘Green Edge’.
According to the newspaper “KeeperThe British, Australian squad will change their name to ‘Jayco Al-Ula’, as the riders will appear under a new name and image in January during the twelfth season of the ‘Down Under’ world tour.
Last year, Green Edge announced a partnership with Al-Ula, an ancient city in northwest Saudi Arabia and home to a World Heritage Site.
Under the new deal, AlUla was promoted to become the team’s second partner alongside Gecko, the Australian mobile home manufacturer.
The Australian team was known as “Bike Exchange – Jaico” during their World Tour participation in 2022.
The Guardian said this deal between the Australian cycling team and Saudi Arabia was the latest in a series of sporting deals linked to the Kingdom.
According to the newspaper, the human rights record in the Gulf kingdom is “poor”, and Freedom House obtained an overall score of 7 out of 100 for political rights.
In 2021, Saudi Arabia is reported to have spent at least $1.5 billion on high-profile international sporting events in a bid to bolster its reputation.
Recently, the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s takeover of English club Newcastle United last year met strong opposition, while the ‘LIV’ golf tour, which opened this year and backed by the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, continued to wreak havoc in the gaming world.
The Royal Commission for Al-Ula Governorate was established in 2017 by royal decree and is chaired by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, it is the government arm with the aim of developing this city and turning it into a tourist attraction within the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 diversify sources of income.
Jaico Al-Ula said in a press release on Thursday that the new deal, which runs until the end of 2025, “reflects the club’s upward trajectory”.
“This new commitment will allow the team to continue this exciting journey in the world of professional cycling, with even greater goals and ambitions for the future,” said team owner Jerry Ryan.
“With this new name, we will have a new look for both the men’s and women’s teams and with the continued commitment and support of all our other partners, we are very excited to start the new year having enjoyed so much success in 2022” .
