Two historic stars called on the International Women’s Tennis Federation to stay out of Saudi Arabia, amid controversy over whether the “white sport” would follow the example of golf and other sports in concluding deals with the Kingdom.
Americans Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are among tennis celebrities throughout history, as each of them won 18 Grand Slam titles between 1974 and 1991.
The two stars said in an article in the newspaper:Washington Post“Tennis Federation officials are about to agree to organize tournaments for professional women in Saudi Arabia” without adequate consultation with the female players who form the basis of this sport. “This is completely inconsistent with the spirit and purpose of women’s tennis.”
They considered that holding the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia “will not represent progress, but rather a major regression.”
They pointed out that “the values of the Women’s Tennis Players Association are in stark contrast to the values of the Kingdom, which does not consider women as equal to men, criminalizes the LGBT community, and also has a male guardianship law that makes women the property of men,” according to the article.
They stressed that there must be a healthy discussion about organizing tournaments in Saudi Arabia that will make female players participate in a sports laundering process just for the sake of money.
Since Prince Mohammed bin Salman assumed the position of Crown Prince in 2017, Saudi Arabia has witnessed social openness after decades of closure and severe restrictions imposed, especially on women, according to Agence France-Presse.
In September 2017, the authorities ended the world’s only ban on women driving by announcing that they would be able to drive cars as of June 2018.
At the same time, cinemas reopened, concerts with mixed audiences were allowed to be held, and women were allowed to enter sports stadiums.
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As 2023 unfolded, the specter of growing Saudi influence over professional golf and the sport in general presented not only a moral dilemma for players and fans but, some claimed, an existential threat to the multi-billion-dollar professional sports industry itself.
2024-01-28 14:08:19
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