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No match for traditional sports leaders: Saudi Arabia blends state and sports power

An element of Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy that is often overlooked is the defining feature of its key figures: the extraordinary decision-making power they wield.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan

Yasir Al-Rumayyan plays a vital role in Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy, holding numerous key positions central to the realisation of its ambitions in world sport and geopolitics. Photo: Ian MacNicol/Stringer/Getty Images

Unlike many of their counterparts in global sports, Saudi sports leaders hold multiple roles that combine leadership in the sports sector with high-ranking positions within the state apparatus, granting them unparalleled political and financial authority. 

This duality—bridging state governance and sports leadership—gives them a distinct advantage in influencing negotiations, securing agreements, and steering the Kingdom’s strategic agenda.

By holding senior roles in sports, key ministries, the sovereign wealth fund, and major state-owned enterprises, their influence transcends traditional sports administration and enables them to leverage immense state resources and extensive political networks to achieve their objectives. 

Backed by state power and vast financial resources, these figures are uniquely positioned to speak for the Kingdom. For instance, Al-Rumayyan’s roles as governor of the Public Investment Fund and chairman of Aramco—alongside his involvement in Saudi sports—allow him to seamlessly transition between acting as a sports leader, a financial heavyweight, or a state representative, depending on the context. 

This adaptability enables Saudi leaders to exert influence in ways which are unattainable for conventional sports leaders whose authority is typically confined to federations or organisations. For them it is virtually impossible to compete with such a well-sourced and state-backed approach.

The Kingdom’s integration of sports and state governance raises pressing questions about power dynamics and the future of global sports governance. The Kingdom’s rapid and calculated blending of political clout with sports influence poses a significant threat to the integrity of international sport.

Saudi Arabia’s grip on world sport
Saudi Arabia’s grip on world sport

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Bin Salman
PtG Publication December 2024

Saudi Arabia's grip on world sport