The WTA will stage its biggest tournament in November in Saudi Arabia..
The one thing you can say about sports entrepreneurs is this. They will take money from just about anyone. The people who run the Women’s Tennis Association Tour have decided that Saudi Arabian money is something that can really help the Tour’s revenue stream and they are taking Saudi money from two revenue streams. The Saudi’s will host a major WTA event and then will form a marketing partnership with the WTA. Saudi Arabia will host the Tour’s season-ending championships in Riyadh between November 2nd and November 9th as part of a three-year deal which will end in 2026. The WTA took the money despite the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s awful human rights record particularly when it comes to women’s rights. WTA officials wanted the Saudi money and put out a statement that said. “The agreement with the Saudi Tennis Federation will offer record prize money of $15.25 million at the WTA Finals in 2024 with further increases in 2025 and 2026. The partnership will also support broader investment in the future development and growth of women’s tennis, including the WTA’s plans to grow the global fanbase for women’s tennis through increased investment in marketing, digital and fan engagement.”
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will serve as the naming partner of the WTA Rankings. The women’s tennis group now has major partnerships with Saudi Arabia. However, according to the World Economic Forum’s report on the global gender gap last year, Saudi Arabia ranked 131 out of 146 countries. By law, the kingdom’s ruler must be a male member of the royal family. Saudi women can get a driver’s license now but the government has cracked down on domestic dissent, arresting women’s rights activists and women who criticized the government policies on social media. WTA officials are comfortable taking Saudi money.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
