Photo/Illutration Adel al-Jubeir, the state minister for foreign affairs of Saudi Arabia, talks to The Asahi Shimbun in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 19. (Nobuyoshi Sakajiri)

DAVOS, Switzerland--Saudi Arabia’s state minister for foreign affairs is hitting back at criticisms his country is pouring massive amounts of money into sports to conceal its human rights violations and other inconvenient facts.

In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun on Jan. 19 in Davos, Switzerland, where he is attending the annual World Economic Forum meeting, Adel al-Jubeir said arguments by critics that his country is engaging in “sportswashing” are “naive” and “crazy.”

He said focusing financial resources on sporting events brings positive returns just like business investments, since it helps keep the public healthy, which can, in turn, lower health care costs.

Sportswashing is a term that means shoring up a country’s reputation with the positive characteristics of sport, such as pureness or passion, to obscure inconvenient facts such as human rights abuses.

As Saudi Arabia attracts attention around the world for how it is investing huge sums of money into sports, it is increasingly facing criticism from human rights groups and others that it is trying to wash away its negative image on human rights, as it makes headlines for cracking down on critics.

Critics have also accused China and Qatar, countries with negative human rights track records, of using the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the 2022 World Cup to bolster their reputations.

Notably, Saudi Arabia’s soccer team Al Nassr signed superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal’s national team this month on a contract of more than 200 million euros (around 27.9 billion yen, or $216.7 million) a year.

And the LIV Golf Invitational Series for male professional golfers, backed by the country’s sovereign wealth fund, was launched in Britain last June and has become well known for its massive prize money.

Al-Jubeir pointed out that people in the United States and Europe also invest in sports by buying popular professional teams.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia’s investments in sports have borne fruit, such as through the LIV Golf Invitational Series contributing to the increasing popularity of the sport in his country.

“We had one golf course with nine holes in Riyadh four or five years ago,” he said. “But today we have eight in Riyadh.”

And he said Al Nassr signing Ronaldo will help in preventing childhood obesity and other health issues in young people.

He said it is more effective to let children see iconic figures such as Ronaldo playing and become inspired, rather than educating them about the importance of physical activity in school.

“When kids see Ronaldo, they get excited. They go and play soccer, rather than sitting and playing on iPads.”

He said if people become healthier, the government can curb health care costs it will have to pay after 30 years.

A series of international sporting events have recently taken place in Saudi Arabia, including the world heavyweight professional boxing championship held in August and the Dakar Rally in January, its fourth consecutive year held in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Jubeir said sports are a good investment because selling broadcast rights and tickets bring financial gains, and the population becomes more productive and healthier through increased engagement in sports.

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