Saudi Arabia’s Pro Golf Merger Is An Attempt to “Sportswash” Human Rights Abuses

Saudi Investment Fund Merges with Professional Golf Association: A Sportswashing Attempt

The Announcement

On June 6, 2023, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Professional Golf Association (PGA) announced the merger of their golf-related commercial businesses and rights, including LIV Golf and the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity. The PIF will initially be the exclusive investor in the new entity and have the exclusive right to further invest in the new entity. This move will enable the Saudi government to “sportswash” its egregious human rights record by placing it in an unprecedented position of influence and control at the top levels of professional golf.

The PGA had formerly accused LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed golf tour, seeks “to sportswash the recent history of Saudi atrocities,” in a United States court case. However, now, the parties agreed to end all pending litigation between them as part of their merger. The merger will give Saudi Arabia’s state fund a considerable degree of control over professional golf while also sportswashing the country’s dismal human rights record.

Human Rights Implications

The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights set out specific responsibilities for businesses, including the expectation that businesses will adopt particular policies and conduct due diligence to identify any risks of contributing to human rights harm. These responsibilities apply to the parties and the new business, and such harm may include conferring reputational benefits that help cover up human rights abuses. In this case, the standard has been breached. The Saudi government has spent billions of dollars hosting major entertainment, cultural, and sporting events as a deliberate strategy to deflect from the country’s image as a pervasive human rights violator. The investment in major entertainment, cultural, and sports events is tied to Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, a plan to overhaul the country’s economy and attract foreign investors and tourists. Among the programs it has developed to realize its vision is one focused on creating more leisure and recreational options to “enhance the image of the Kingdom internationally.”

The PIF has been directly implicated in human rights abuses through its acquisitions and personnel and has helped Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rehabilitate his international image and whitewash serious ongoing abuses committed by Saudi authorities under his leadership. At least three members of the current board of the PIF were involved in the abusive “corruption crackdown” in Saudi Arabia in 2017.

The PGA’s Hypocrisy?

PGA officials met with US Senator Chris Murphy not long ago and spoke about how the Saudis’ human rights record should disqualify them from having a stake in a significant American sport. After that, the PGA decided to merge operations with the Saudi-backed golf tour. This move has raised questions about the PGA’s hypocrisy and whether financial benefits took precedence over human rights concerns.

The Way Forward

The parties and the new business have a responsibility to respect human rights throughout all their operations. Human Rights Watch has called on the PGA and other professional golfers to speak up against human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and reject the sportswashing attempt. As these golfers continue on with their careers and reputations, it is important for them to remember that their actions have consequences. They must decide whether they want to be associated with the abuses of such influential shareholders or look the other way if the prize money and profile is adequate.

Politicians must also speak out against this attempt to sportswash human rights abuses. They must send a strong message to corporations that human rights must not be sacrificed in a profit-seeking venture. The international community should put pressure on Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record, release all individuals arbitrarily detained and unfairly jailed, and end all other human rights abuses.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the announcement of the merger between the PIF and the PGA represents a sportswashing attempt by the Saudi government to cover up its human rights abuses. The international community, professional golfers, and politicians must take a stand against it before it is too late. We must not allow sport to be used as a tool for whitewashing human rights abuses.