Headline : Saudi Arabia’s deal with PGA is major step in relentless sportswashing saga | Sean Ingle

Read more from the original article on here at www.theguardian.com.

---

No. of Paragraph 20

Regime wants to use sport for soft power and to improve the lives of its population but has failed to wash away its human rights record

Looking back, so much of it was already there on that night in Diriyah when a storm raged across the desert and Anthony Joshua made history – and £60m – by retaining his world heavyweight title belts. Not just the good, the bad and the ugly of Saudi Arabia’s sporting ambitions, but the accommodations of those willing to take the money and look the other way.

One moment from the fight in December 2019 lingers more than most: Joshua absorbing the cheers from the young crowd, many of whom were women in western clothes, before averting his gaze upwards towards the kingdom’s ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, and giving a fist-pump to the man who had made it all possible.

It felt disconcerting yet no one was really surprised. A couple of days earlier, Joshua had responded to questions about human rights by insisting the Saudis were “trying to do a good job politically” before adding: “I just came here for the boxing opportunity. I look around and everyone seems pretty happy and chilled. I’ve not seen anyone in a negative light out here, everyone seems to be having a good time.”

Read more from the original article on here at www.theguardian.com.

Related Headlines : Saudi Arabia’s deal with PGA is major step in relentless sportswashing saga | Sean Ingle (in Google.com):

Hello, below you have a "Web" tab to read more content and an "Image" tab to get related pictures

Example : Trends, Country, News, Jobs, Scholarships, Investment, Business, Politics, Adverts, Fashion, Events, Technology and more.