Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said he “doesn’t care” if Saudi Arabia is accused of “sportswashing” – as long as it adds to the country’s GDP.
The country has set its Vision 2030 – a project to end its dependency on fossil fuels that has seen billions pumped into golf and football.
Prince Mohammed, also known as MBS, was asked during an interview with Fox News about sportswashing – which relates to enhancing the reputation of a controversial country or an organisation by using sport sponsorship or event hosting.
“If it’s sportswashing and it improves my GDP by 1%, then I will continue doing sportswashing,” he said.
When asked if he was “OK with that term”, MBS replied: “I don’t care – I have 1% GDP growth from sports and I’m aiming for another 1.5%. Call it whatever you want – we’re going to get that other 1.5%.”
Saudi Arabia has pumped money into sport in recent years.
Its LIV Golf series sparked a player revolt before its merger with the PGA, while the domestic Saudi Pro League has spent nearly £1bn over the summer on a string of high-profile football stars.
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Premier League players such as ex-Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Manchester City midfielder Riyad Mahrez, as well as Brazilian star Neymar, have been lured to the peninsula with big-money moves.
Newcastle United was also bought by a consortium dominated by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
The oil-rich nation has faced criticism for human rights violations and ongoing concern about the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi after he entered the consulate in Istanbul.
US intelligence services said the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist was likely approved by the prince – a claim he has denied.
The kingdom has also faced accusations of human rights abuses, including imprisonment without trial and mass execution of critics.
Rishi Sunak was criticised last month when it was announced he would meet MBS, possibly before the end of the year.
