Saudi Arabia's Sports Investment Amid Image Reshaping Efforts

Saudi Arabia has emerged as a major player in global sports, hosting events, buying teams, and luring athletes with staggering contracts. However, the country has faced accusations of sportswashing, using sports to launder its reputation and paper over human rights abuses, authoritarian rule, and even murder. The massive investment in sports is part of the country's Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy beyond oil, while softening some of its most restrictive social conventions and laws. While some see the investment as a positive step, others argue that it comes at the cost of political repression and human rights violations.