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 major step backward, to the detriment not simply of girls’s sport, however girls,” 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 should practise excessive self-censorship to outlive their day by day lives”.
Daria Kasatkina, who’s in a same-sex relationship, is the one prime participant to have voiced opposition a few transfer to Saudi. Jabeur beforehand mentioned 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 status over its human rights file and its environmental influence.
However the Saudi authorities says the investment is boosting the economic system, opening it as much as tourism and galvanizing folks to be extra energetic.
“We have now had direct discussions with the gamers, and a few the journeys we had over there we had some folks be part of us from the LGBTQ+ group,” Simon continued.
“We have now additionally accomplished loads of analysis for among the different sporting occasions which were held over there, they usually have solely had constructive 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 major second for the nation.
“To have a girls’s match of this magnitude and profile is a defining second for tennis in Saudi Arabia,” mentioned 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, 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 girls in all sectors lately, with sport driving a lot of the progress throughout our whole society.
“Internet hosting the WTA Finals is completely large for the way forward for tennis in Saudi Arabia and rising sport typically, particularly amongst our younger women. And that is fully our focus, to encourage future generations of gamers and have a good time girls’s tennis.”