Sportswashing: Saudi Arabia and the International Olympic Committee Partner Amid Controversy

Saudi Arabia and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have announced a 12-year agreement to host a new Olympic eSports event in the Kingdom, starting next year. This partnership marks a significant step in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to position itself as a global hub for eSports and digital entertainment.

The IOC’s statement on Friday detailed that the agreement includes the hosting of Olympic eSports Games tournaments, beginning with the inaugural eSports Olympics in 2025. While the exact value of the contract has not been disclosed, the deal promises millions of dollars in investment.

This partnership comes as part of the IOC’s broader strategy to engage younger audiences by integrating video games into the Olympic framework. The announcement was made during the Electronic Sports World Cup held in Riyadh, which will run for two months.

However, this deal has sparked significant criticism from human rights experts and analysts. They argue that it is part of Saudi Arabia’s “sportswashing” strategy, where authoritarian regimes use high-profile sporting events to enhance their international image and distract from their human rights abuses. Saudi Arabia’s record includes severe restrictions on freedom of expression, suppression of dissent, and persecution of political opponents and activists.

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has been involved in a devastating war in Yemen, which it justifies as a campaign against the Houthi rebels. This conflict has resulted in what is considered one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history, leaving Yemen as the poorest country in the world with hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties and millions displaced.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in various sports, including football, Formula 1, boxing, golf, and tennis. The Kingdom has hosted numerous international sporting events, such as premier boxing matches and the establishment of the LIV Golf project, which competes with the PGA Tour in the United States. Future events in Saudi Arabia include the 2027 Asian Cup in men’s football, the 2029 Asian Winter Games at a specially constructed ski resort, and the 2034 Asian Games in Riyadh.

Despite these investments, Saudi Arabia’s human rights record remains deeply troubling. Data from the Human Rights Measurement Initiative in 2021 identified Riyadh as one of the most repressive regimes globally, citing bans on peaceful protests, restrictions on free expression, suppression of civil society organizations, and the disenfranchisement of citizens.

Given this context, we urge the International Olympic Committee to reconsider its partnership with the Saudi regime and cancel the deal to stand up for human rights and support the victims of the Saudi government’s abuses. Continuing this partnership implicates the IOC in the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the Saudi regime.