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 match there would characterize a big step backward, to the detriment not simply of girls’s sport, however ladies,” the pair wrote.
Human Rights Watch informed 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 couple of transfer to Saudi. Jabeur beforehand stated she would be “very excited” to play within the nation.
Critics say unprecedented spending on sport has been used to enhance the oil-producing kingdom’s popularity over its human rights document and its environmental affect.
However the Saudi authorities says the investment is boosting the economic system, opening it as much as tourism and provoking folks to be extra lively.
“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+ group,” Simon continued.
“We now have additionally carried out lots of analysis for a few of the different sporting occasions which have been held over there, and so they have solely had optimistic experiences throughout 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 big second for the nation.
“To have a ladies’s match of this magnitude and profile is a defining second for tennis in Saudi Arabia,” stated Al Faisal.
“The WTA Finals has the ability to encourage far past the game, particularly for our younger women and girls.”
Arij Almutabagani, who in 2021 turned the primary lady elected to run one of many nation’s sports activities federations, stated: “Everybody might be made to really feel extraordinarily welcome.
“Our nation is shifting ahead. A lot has been achieved already and plenty of historic steps taken by ladies in all sectors in recent times, with sport driving a lot of the progress throughout our complete society.
“Internet hosting the WTA Finals is totally large for the way forward for tennis in Saudi Arabia and rising sport normally, particularly amongst our younger ladies. And that is solely our focus, to encourage future generations of gamers and have fun ladies’s tennis.”
