Saudi Arabia’s staging of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals in 2024 was contentious because of its human rights situation, even as the kingdom advertised progress in the area of women’s rights. As much as players such as Coco Gauff pointed out the opportunity the tournament presented to promote young girls, others claim that Saudi Arabia makes use of such tournaments to deflect attention from the repression of women’s rights activists. The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 initiative has invested significantly in sports, making them an element of the overall push to modernize Saudi society. While it hosts global sports events, Saudi Arabia continues to jail women’s rights activists, such as Loujain Al-Hathloul and Salma al-Shehab, and upholds repressive laws such as the male guardianship system. Despite certain reforms, these moves indicate Saudi Arabia is employing sport to cover up continuing human rights violations.
Pray for the government of Saudi Arabia to abide by international human rights law and to give equal access to all its citizens without any discrimination (The Holy Bible, Proverbs 24:6).
Pray for the immediate and unconditional release of all the imprisoned human rights activists in Saudi Arabia. Pray against all the gender-based discrimination in the nation. Pray for freedom of expression in the country (The Holy Bible, Psalm 17:13).
News Source: Human Rights Foundation
Image Source: Canva
