The article "Naivt att damtennis i Saudiarabien skulle leda till förbättringar för kvinnor" (English translation: "Naive to Think That Women’s Tennis in Saudi Arabia Would Lead to Improvements for Women"), written by Pelle Strandman, was published on July 11, 2023 in Dagens Nyheter (DN). Below are some excerpts from the article translated into English.
Tennis appears to be next in line in Saudi Arabia's extensive sports venture after the recent discussions between the men's ATP Tour and Saudi Arabia's wealth fund PIF with assets of US$650 billion. Several of the sport's top female representatives are now calling on the Gulf country to also invest in the WTA tour and point to potential upsides such as a more equal tennis elite and improved rights for women. Is that reasonable – or would it just be another example of sportswashing?
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It is widely known that Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that systematically violates human rights. Freedom of speech is severely curtailed, any form of criticism against the royal family, Islam and religious leaders is severely punished, executions occur to a very high extent and women's rights are severely restricted.
It is with regard to the latter that top tennis players Casper Ruud and Ons Jabeur point to a development that is moving in a more modern direction - and they are not entirely wrong, confirms Joel Abdelmoez, who is a doctoral student in political science and specializes in feminist activism in the Middle East.
– Ever since Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince in 2017, he has implemented a lot of reforms, including reforms of women's rights, he says.
Nowadays, there is less gender segregation in Saudi Arabia, women have the right to vote, can drive and no longer need their husband's permission to work or travel. The reforms are part of "Vision 2030", which largely consists of diversifying Saudi Arabia's economy and becoming less dependent on oil. To do that, foreign investors are needed and then the country needs to be seen as an acceptable cooperation partner, says Joel Abdelmoez:
– There is no doubt that the situation in the country will improve with these reforms. In many ways, Saudi Arabia is different today compared to ten years ago. These are important reforms that actually have an impact on women's lives.
At the same time, he adds:
– But you shouldn't be fooled into thinking that it's about a genuine will to reform. Because at the same time, the regime has imprisoned many of the feminist activists who have worked for these issues, and the state is still fundamentally repressive and conservative. While these changes are significant, they will ultimately be quite cosmetic as long as power is concentrated in a few men – really just two people: the king and the crown prince.
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Joel Abdelmoez argues that the investment in women's sports is merely a cosmetic reform for women's rights, aimed at giving Saudi Arabia a more favorable media image internationally.
Against that background, I would probably say that the introduction of these international events in itself does not lead to any improvement for women in Saudi Arabia.
Is it naive to hope for that effect?
– When it comes to women's rights in Saudi Arabia, I think it's naive to think that way.
– On the other hand, if more funding is channeled into women's tennis from the Saudi side, I absolutely believe that it can contribute to more equality on the sporting side. But I think it's naive to think that it would work the other way too, that the presence of women's tennis in Saudi Arabia would lead to improvements for the women there.
Just the fact that there is a discussion about whether sports investments for women in Saudi Arabia can strengthen women's rights in the country shows how effective sportswashing is as an exercise of soft power, says Joel Abdelmoez.
– At the end of the day, it is about money. It is about changing the media image for financial reasons. Even if there are improvements for gender equality, they would be purely based on capitalist grounds.
