Criticism of the long-anticipated transfer to Saudi Arabia has been led by Navratilova and Evert, who wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Submit in January.
“Taking a event there would symbolize a major step backward, to the detriment not simply of ladies’s sport, however ladies,” the pair wrote.
Human Rights Watch advised the BBC in December that Saudi courts had convicted folks for selling homosexuality on-line and added “LGBT folks in Saudi Arabia need to practise excessive self-censorship to outlive their every day lives”.
Daria Kasatkina, who’s in a same-sex relationship, is the one high participant to have voiced opposition a few transfer to Saudi. Jabeur beforehand mentioned she could be “very excited” to play within the nation.
Critics say unprecedented spending on sport has been used to enhance the oil-producing kingdom’s repute over its human rights document and its environmental affect.
However the Saudi authorities says the funding is boosting the economic system, opening it as much as tourism and galvanizing folks to be extra energetic.
“We now have had direct discussions with the gamers, and a few the journeys we had over there we had some folks be a part of us from the LGBTQ+ neighborhood,” Simon continued.
“We now have additionally executed a number of analysis for a few of the different sporting occasions which were held over there, they usually have solely had optimistic experiences inside the area.”
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, says the announcement is a major second for the nation.
“To have a ladies’s event of this magnitude and profile is a defining second for tennis in Saudi Arabia,” mentioned Al Faisal.
“The WTA Finals has the facility to encourage far past the game, particularly for our younger women and girls.”
Arij Almutabagani, who in 2021 turned the primary girl elected to run one of many nation’s sports activities federations, mentioned: “Everybody shall be made to really feel extraordinarily welcome.
“Our nation is shifting ahead. A lot has been achieved already and lots of historic steps taken by ladies in all sectors in recent times, with sport driving a lot of the progress throughout our whole society.
“Internet hosting the WTA Finals is totally enormous for the way forward for tennis in Saudi Arabia and rising sport generally, particularly amongst our younger women. And that is solely our focus, to encourage future generations of gamers and have a good time ladies’s tennis.”
